75) Death Ship (1980)

"Where do you plan to sail her?" "Eternity."

Director

Alvin Rakoff

Cast

Richard Crenna - Trevor Marshall

George Kennedy - Captain Ashland

Nick Mancuso - Nick

Sally Ann Howes - Margaret Marshall

Jennifer McKinney - Robin Marshall

Danny Higham - Ben Marshall

If Stanley Kubrick's The Shining ditched the Colorado Rockies and set sail on the ocean, taking with it some inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho as well as any random Nazis movie, the result would be something similar to 1980's Death Ship.  

Watching this movie, I caught slight hints of these other films packed into the story. 

The less-than-enthusiastic Capt. Ashland (George Kennedy) is taking his last voyage on a glamorous cruise ship before he goes into retirement. 

With him on board is his replacement, Trevor Marshall (Richard Crenna), Marshall's wife, Margaret (Sally Ann Howes - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and their two children, Robin (Jennifer McKinney) and Ben (Danny Higham). 

Sometime during the late night while those are board are partying and the kids are in bed, a huge freighter is detected on radar heading full speed straight towards the cruise ship. 

Despite Ashland's evasive maneuvers, the cruise ship matches their heading. It's just a matter of moments before the inevitable happens. And when it does, the cruise ship sinks along with most of the passengers. 

The next day, only a small number of the cruise ship's passengers survive including Marshall and his family. 

While the survivors are adrift at sea on a life raft, the barely conscious and exhausted Capt. Ashland is discovered and rescued.

While all are adrift, a looming black freighter sails by and the survivors call out for help. 

But the small group is completely unaware that not only is the ship abandoned, it's also the same one that collided with the cruise ship at full speed. 

They find a rescue ladder hanging off the side and are able to climb aboard. 

While some officers try to climb the ladder with an exhausted and injured Ashland, it comes loose and lunges them into the water. 

Still, they all manage to climb to safety ("safety") with Ashland. 

Once on the ship, one of the surviving crewman, Jackie (Saul Rubinek), becomes entangled in a cable through what appears to be supernatural means. He's hoisted up by the ship's cranes, and then dropped into the cold ocean water below before being hoisted back up in the air beyond reach of those on deck. Wheb he's dropped again, Jackie ends up swept away by the current, and lost under the ship. 

There's not much for the shocked witnesses to do other than explore the dusty hallways within the ship, and search for food and warmth. 

What they find is antiquated items dating back to the era of World War II. But aside from that, they hear and witness hatches opening and closing by themselves, and lights turning on and off. 

While exploring the deck, Nick (Nick Mancuso), is knocked out by a swinging block moved by an unseen force. 

Elsewhere, others among the surviving few find dusty bunks and other necessities in various parts of the boat. 

As these mysterious happenings are taking place, Ashland, who's lying on one of the beds, hears a disembodied voice speaking in German. 

Marshall and Nick make the disturbing discovery that the ship they're on is an abandoned Nazi prison ship. And it's inhabited by the ghosts of Nazi officers as well as dead prisoners. 

Also, Ashland becomes possessed by one of these spirits, and declares himself the ship's captain. 

He then begins continuing the terror that once roamed the ship so many years ago. 

Now the survivors must find a way to continue their lucky streak and survive once more.    

Death Ship started off promising only to gradually decline until laying flat on its face by the end.  

The overall plot does have potential to be a fun horror/ thriller story. However, the movie loses momentum by the second act as it becomes a little too predictable and unintentionally funny. By the end, it tries hard to pick up the pace and trepidation but is only left crawling on its hands and knees trying to tie up the story on a thrilling note. 

I found myself pulled into the story once the cruise ship goes down. But by the third act, I was too close to complete disappointment, predicting with little difficulty what was going to happen next. 

Death Ship uses low or tilted camera angles for the sake of maintaining that unsettling supernatural tone. And it includes elements of voyerism in an attempt to keep the audience invested via a shower scene where a woman is nearly scared to death when blood starts spraying from the shower head instead of hot water. That scene dragged on a bit too long to the point where I laughed when I probably wasn't supposed to. It tried to top Psycho's shower scene, but it certainly didn't succeed. Nice try, though.    

There is an originality I can appreciate in creating a war time ship that is possessed by the ghosts of Nazis, turning the vessel into a monster of its own. It reminds me of those many other "killer" movies where the most mundane objects somehow become cognoscente man-eating monsters. Killer tomatoes. Killer rubber tires. Killer puppets. Killer donuts. Killer sofas. Yes...killer sofas! There's a real movie from 2019 about a killer sofa.

With the souls of dead Nazis and their prisoners giving life to the ship, I sense inspiration from The Shining. However, Death Ship was released in March of 1980, while The Shining came out in May of that same year. 

This is the kind of movie that could most likely make a suitable remake. I loved the idea of an evil ship, alive by the souls of evil, continually wreaking dread and turmoil upon other ships out on the open seas. It should be a fun viewing for fans of bottom shelf 1970s and 1980s horror cinema. Otherwise, there's reason this movie is as obscure as it is. It starts off strong, only to fizzle out a sad death by the very last scene. It's the writing that leads to disappointment, not the actors.

Alvin Rakoff, who has directed a lot of television programs, takes the director's chair. With a modest list of film directing, Rakoff has directed some well known talent including Rod Steiger in The World in my Pocket, Roger Moore in Crossplot, Peter Sellers in Hoffman, Henry Fonda, Ava Gardner, and Shelley Winters in City on Fire, and of course George Kennedy in Death Ship.  

Unfortunately, Rakoff stated he didn't care for movies like Death Ship, and the script wasn't something he was excited about. I think that shows in the final production. It's as though the film was eager to finish once the end was in sight. 

And speakin of Kennedy, he appeared in a decent number of horror movies in the 1980s, including Creepshow 2 in 1987.

The best of the horror in Death Ship comes when Trevor and Nick discover the rotten corpses of Nazis prisoners, including a tray of extracted gold teeth - a blunt reminder of horror that once really existed.

This film has promise, and it certainly has an appealing sense of dread as well as horror.

To be honest, I don't know if Death Ship maintains a cult following. If it does, great! 

74) House of the Devil (1896)

House of the Devil

Director

Georges Méliès

I don't know if French film maker, Georges Méliès, is considered the grandfather of movie special effects. If not, he ought to be. Being an illusionist who utilized many technical developments in the earliest days of cinema, such as splicing, multiple film exposures, time lapse, scene dissolves, and early forms of film colorization that involved painting film, Méliès is most certainly a founding father of storytelling in film. Plus, he's known for being one of the first film makers to use storyboards. 

On top of these achievements, he's also credited for producing what's believed to be the first horror movie, House of the Devil. 

It was once considered a lost film until it was discovered at a New Zealand film archive in 1988. His groundbreaking, albeit very early, techniques are present in this short movie.

Since House of the Devil has a runtime slightly over three minutes, I watched this movie on my lunch break. Not all the horror movies I'm venturing through need to be an hour or more in running time. Anyways, the first claimed horror film needs to be counted among these 1,000 titles.

House of the Devil has a thin story line. Though being an early film, Méliès shows his masterfulness in impressing audiences with phenomenal visuals and effects. 

It begins inside a castle where a bat transforms into a slave of the devil named Mephistopheles - the demon known in German folklore whom Faust sold his soul to. 

With the assistance of a minion, Mephistopheles begins to conjure up demons in various forms through spells cast with a cauldron. 

Meanwhile, two men enter the castle where the demons try to scare them by manifesting in terrible forms. 

In the end *spoiler alert* one of the men produces a large crucifix to cast Mephistopheles out for good. Using camera pauses to create the illusion of spirit conjuring and disappearances, it's truly a fascinating film experiment. It deserves more than my mentioning it here.

House of the Devil was produced before Méliès's more famous silent film A Trip to the Moon - an early science fiction movie from 1902. Its iconic scene of a rocket lodged in the eye of the moon's face is still often seen today. 

Méliès is a pioneer of movie magic with his special effects, careful and truly imaginary artistic scenery like those of a stage play. He's also the first to create fictional narratives. 

Movies of this time were generally novel films depicting ordinary scenes in everyday life such as The Kiss (1896) by Thomas Edison. The title pretty much sums up that 30 second film. A man is seen flirting cheek to cheek with a lady, until the two engage in a simple, classy kiss. It was considered risque' at the time. It's pure and innocent by today's standards, of course. 

French film makers Auguste and Louis Lumiere, brothers who were pioneers of motion pictures, are known for making such movies. Their movies have the impression of using motion picture cameras to take ordinary yet moving photos as though the brothers were using a regular still photography camera. These "Actuality Films," also called "Actualities" such as The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat, Baby's Breakfast, The Gardener and  Blacksmiths normally had a runtime of 30 to 40 seconds. And like The Kiss, their titles explain the subject matter. No story, necessarily. Rather, moving pictures of ordinary things. Still life in motion right before your very eyes.

Méliès saw these Actualities and harnessed their potential as a new and novel medium in story telling. 

He portrayed extravagant science fiction, fantasy and in this case, thriller stories through on-camera physical transformations, magical acts, characters disappearing on screen right in front of audience's eyes, and other remarkable scenes audiences of the day had never seen in a picture before. 

Mephistopheles summons a figure from a cauldron.

House of the Devil depicts the ultimate battle in every horror movie. With limited tools, Méliès manages to portray the ultimate good symbolized through the faith of the two men and the crucifix against the ultimate evil depicted in Mephistopheles and his sinister sorcery. 

The movie isn't necessarily meant to terrify audiences though images of a skeleton and demonic presences must have done just that with early film goers. Rather, it's visually displaying that eternal conflict which had never been portrayed in motion picture. It's this motif that became the foundation for all horror movies to follow decade after decade. Of course, it's a battle as old has mankind. Evil is ugly, proud, and fearful of good. Good, meanwhile, is strong and never fails to finally defeat evil. Never!

Movies this early didn't have credits.

So, it's believed among film historians that magician Jules Eugene Legris, who appears in A Trip to the Moon, portrays Mephistopheles. And many historians are certain stage actress Jehanne D'Alcy is the woman who appears out of the cauldron. 

D'Alcy appears in other Méliès's films, and eventually became his wife. 

Other silent horror pictures were made shortly after Méliès film, all before the turn of the century - A Terrible Night, A Nightmare, The X-Ray Fiend, The Bewitched Inn, Photographing A Ghost, The Cave of the Demons, Resurrection of a Corpse, Jizo the Spook, The Joyous Skeleton and The Miser's Doom to drop a generous number of titles.  

The horror genre has Méliès to thank for implementing the solid foundational truth that in any horror movie, good must face evil in some way or another. And no matter how nightmarish evil's looming presence is, there is always a way to conquer it. It's up to the protagonist to find that narrow path that leads to victory. At least, until evil returns in the dreaded horror sequel. 

73) The Canterville Ghost (1986)

When a golden girl can win prayer from out the lips of sin, when the barren almond bears and a little child gives 'way her tears, then shall all the house be still and peace come to Canterville.

Director

Paul Bogart

Cast

John Gielgud - Sir Simon de Canterville

Ted Wass - Harry Canterville

Andrea Marcovicci - Lucy Canterville

Alyssa Milano - Jennifer Canterville

Lila Kaye - Mrs. Umney

Harold Innocent - Hummle Umney

I'm dragging this movie out from a lonely, overlooked space somewhere in a dark crevasse of my memory. Old memories such as watching the 1986 made-for-TV movie The Canterville Ghost have a tendency to jump out at the most random and unlikely of times.

They may be old, murky, and dusty...but not completely forgotten. The memory of this film, based on the classic short story by Oscar Wilde, faintly popped out in my head like a neglected childhood toy suddenly finding enough juice to go off after years of neglect. 

My dad recorded this movie off the television. I was five years old at the time. And for reasons I cannot remember, I often watched it. 

This was the era of bad reception, bunny ears, and tracking control via knobs and such on the TV set. So, our copy wasn't the clearest picture. But it was clear enough to burn a few images in my mind through the soft television static. 

I admit I haven't read Wilde's short story. Still, I'm judging the movie and not the source material. Any deviations from the story, and I'm sure there's a lot, are lost on me. 

The movie begins with Harry Canterville (Ted Wass) en route to his recently inherited Canterville Castle, located in a small English town, with his second wife Lucy Swackhammer Canterville (Andrea Marcovicci) and his young daughter from a former marriage, Jennifer (Alyssa Milano).

They're moving to their new home from Cleveland, Ohio, so it's quite a cultural change.

As soon as they arrive and meet Harry's English relatives at the Canterville Estate, the eccentric aunts and uncles try to disguise their apprehensiveness in knowing the shamed ghost of Harry's ancestor, Sir Simon de Canterville, haunts the place.

Simon allegedly killed his wife, Eleanor, centuries ago. After her death, he is said to have disappeared without a trace. And no one has ever found his remains. 

He spends his afterlife scaring away all who attempt to reside in the castle. 

However, the Cantervilles must live there for at least three months in order to take full possession. 

The unrested spirit of Sir Simon doesn't hesitate to show his disdain for the new inhabitants, and wastes no time trying to scare them off. 

When they arrive and begin to settle in, Simon appears to them on the staircase while they're being taken to their rooms.

He tries to terrify them, but Harry and Lucy think the specter is nothing more than a special effect set up by Harry's off-center relatives to discourage them from taking up residence, and preventing the castle from falling into his possession. 

Jennifer, however, who witnessed the butler, Hummle Umney, lift off the ground and disappear earlier, believes Sir Simon's ghost is real and does indeed haunt the castle. 

Later that night, she sees a green orb floating through the hallways. She follows it up to the attic, where she sees Simon's ghost sitting at a desk.

When she calls to him, Simon tries to scare her but Jennifer stands firm and refuses to let fear force her to run. 

Instead, Jennifer talks to Simon asking if he'd be willing to scare her stepmother away from her dad, and from their lives. 

Simon returns to his normal spectral form, a bit dumbfounded to find a living person not terrified by his presence. 

Alyssa Milano and Sir John Gielgud.

He tells Jennifer that he hasn't slept in 300 years, and would do anything just to have a rest. 

Simon then agrees to try and scare Lucy.

Lucy, however, thinks all the frights she soon after encounters are tricks set up by Harry's family. 

She holds a dinner party where she opens up to Harry's family about their alleged efforts to scare them off. 

The family emphasizes that they're not trying to scare them off, that Sir Simon's ghost is real, and that they need Harry to take possession of the castle to keep it in the family. 

As supper begins, Simon manifests himself in such a freaky way, Lucy and Harry run out of the dining room convinced the castle is actually haunted. 

During all this time, Simon and Jennifer begin to form a friendship. 

One of Jennifer's classmates tells her about the allegations against Simon as the two kids visit Simon and Eleanor's grave site. Simon's grave doesn't have a date of death engraved on it which sparks Jennifer's curiosity. 

Simon appears to the two at the gravesite, scaring off Jennifer's classmate. 

She refuses to talk to him after that.

Simon later attempts to amend his friendship with Jennifer, revealing to her exactly what happened to him 300 years ago, and why he is in a perpetual state of unrest and doomed to remain in the castle. 

Jennifer tells Simon about her dad's plans to accept an offer on the castle from a company that wants to turn it into an elaborate inn and resort. 

Simon requests a meeting with her dad during which he makes a bargain with Harry that he'll cease his hauntings if Harry doesn't sell the castle. 

It might sound like a convoluted storyline, but it's not. 

There are a few scenes from this movie that scared me as a child. They've stayed in my collective memory alongside other scary scenes from other movies. 

For instance, when Jennifer first goes to speak with Simon, he tries to scare her by turning into a giant head with an amplified, looming voice. 

And during the dinner scene with Harry's family, their cook Mrs. Umney brings out a silver platter with a dome lid covering the main course.

As the guests are discussing the many horrific ways Simon has manifested himself, Mrs. Umney lifts the lid to reveal the entrée' has been replaced with Simon's head. He begins to shout and laugh demonically as all the food on the dining table explodes. Disembodied heads is what did it for me back then as far as scares go. 

Seeing it now, this version of The Canterville Ghost feels like a Disney Channel production. The entire ghost aspect starts off comical, and becomes watered down throughout the movie all the way until the end. 

In fact, I wondered if Simon really was a ghost. He repeats how he "wants to die" so that he can finally find the rest he yearns for. But he's a ghost already. Is he half dead? 

I also don't think the writers had a grasp on what a ghost actually is, or what limitations dead people have. 

In one scene, Simon eats a plate of cookies he stole moments before. Also, after spending a couple days at Eleanor's grave site in the chilly English weather, Simon catches a cold. 

Jennifer persuades him to return to the castle to rest (despite his inability to do just that). Back in the castle attic, Simon bundles up and soaks his feet in hot water as Jennifer tries to nurse him back to health. He asks her to open the window. She replies that he'll "die of pneumonia" if she opens it. 

"Do you really think so," he says. Again, is he half-dead? This films vision of the afterlife, and all it entails as far as ghosts are concerned, isn't explained.

Did the writers forget Simon died 300 years ago? He's a ghost! It's in the title. During production, surely someone said out loud "wait...ghosts don't eat cookies and catch colds."  

Since watching this movie through my seven year old eyes, I have gained a lot more respect and appreciation for actor Sir John Gielgud as I've seen him in some great movies- The Elephant Man, Murder By Decree, and Becket to name a few. I became a fan of Gielgud after watching him portray Pope Pius XII in the 1983 movie The Scarlet and the Black with Gregory Peck. 

He certainly gives this character from the mind of Oscar Wilde the respect it deserves. As he delivers his lines about all the scares through the centuries Simon proudly reflects on, Gielgud appears to be having fun with the role. 

Sir John Gielgud as Simon de Canterville 

Simon isn't completely scary as much as he is emotionally wounded. He's a spirit who yearns for externals which he can't obtain. All he has is the inner turmoil he died with. 

Sir Simon is a spirit bitter, resentful, and sad. He's been stuck in his purgatorial state for 300 years. And for 300 years, when every living person Sir Simon encounters reacts in fear, he's going to be expect fear. He'll fuel it. This is were Gielgud seems to be having fun.

His 17th century costume with an ornate Medici style collar, and long frizzled white hair is iconic.

But Gielgud's performance contrasts Milano's lackluster acting. The only time I caught any emotion from her character was when she tells herself how cute her classmate is. 

There's a lot of major turning points in Jennifer's life. She moves to a new country. She tells her dad and step-mother how much she misses her friends. She's not fond of her step-mom. She misses her real mother whom we learn previously passed away. And she makes continual contact with the soul of a 300-year old ancestor. 

Still, Milano shows little to no convincing emotion. She says her lines telling the audience what they need to know, and that's all. Nothing much about Milano's performance stands out. She doesn't shine with the same charisma as Gielgud. His mastery doesn't mix with Milano's seemingly unenthused performance. 

Watching Gielgud in The Canterville Ghost 30-something years later, when I know more things than I did back when I was a kid, I can now appreciate what he does in this movie. 

Overall, it was fun to watch The Canterville Ghost in a nostalgic way. Of course, not everyone has that same particular nostalgia as I have.

For those who haven't seen this movie before, they might find it fun with its Disney-esque feel similar to other Disney ghost movies such as Blackbeard's Ghost and The Ghosts of Buxley Hall. 

Otherwise, if it wasn't for Sir John Gielgud presence, I would leave this movie in the dark corner of my mind were I've kept it all these years. 

I Saw 'Em All: Tremors (1990 - 2020)

My overall thoughts on the series...

For those gracious enough to spare some time to listen to my podcast at anchor.fm/1000DaysOfHorror, then perhaps you followed me as I meandered my way through all seven movies in the Tremors series during October. I appreciate that immensely, even if my listenership is about 10 people at the moment. I like the idea of dedicating time to an entire franchise.

Unlike many monster flicks, Tremors offers something both original and unique. 

The graboids, as they're called throughout the films, are a natural species that have somehow remained undiscovered since who knows when. And they sense their prey by sound vibrations. 

As far as we know, these monsters aren't space creatures. Nor are they from another realm or dimension. They're not some unholy, unnatural fluke of nature like something cooked up thanks to a military experiment gone badly. I think they've always been out in the desert surviving on... what? I don't know!

Tremors is a science fiction horror comedy film with a western taste. There's not too many mainstream horror films like Tremors. Yet it easily manages to be a horror comedy on par with movies such as Gremlins and Ghostbusters. It leans a little into the realm of cheesy comedy but maintains a serious enough tone and plot that's certainly does not induce eye-rolls.   

All the characters residing in the fictional town of Perfection, Nevada (population 14) fit in so well among each other. They're likeable, and easy to grow invested in. This fades sequel by sequel. By Tremors 6: A Cold Day in Hell, I could absolutely care less if any of the characters die. In fact, all I remember about the characters in part six is that there were two girls and this one guy who just spouts some science-y terms. I'm probably wrong on the numbers. 

In the first movie, married couple and survivalists Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) and Heather Gummer (Reba McEntire) are two such likeable characters. 

They live in a bunker type house away from peering government eyes, with a stock pile of weaponry that isn't far from the truth yet still makes me laugh.

Rather than just tackle the worms with bullets, Burt conjures up a variety of militaristic ways to kill these things such as bombs attached to remote controlled cars. 

Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward in the lead roles as Val McKee and Earl Bass is a good casting decision. If only they stuck around through the sequels to be the graboid's arch-nemeses like Dracula's Van Helsing, or Michael Myer's Lori Strode. These two play so well off of each other, they may have had potential to be a popular duo in the horror genre. Though Fred Ward returns for Tremors 2: Aftershocks, part one was all we saw of them together which is probably why the first in the series is the best.

There are great character actors in part one as well such as Charlotte Stewart (Eraserhead) and Victor Wong (Big Trouble in Little China). Many of them return in Tremors 3: Back to Perfection which makes the third film one of the better sequels. 

But the first movie could use just a bit more solid foundation in the story. For instance, what did these worms eat before intruding upon Perfection? Why do we have shots from the worm's point of view as they travel underground when these worms are blind and locate their prey by vibrations? And why have these worms been an unknown species until now, especially when considering their incredibly large size? Backstory would come in handy for the sake of audience interest.

The build up is memorable in the first film. There are two scenes that have stayed in my mind since I first saw part one back in 1990. 

In one scene, Val and Earl discover a friend of theirs, Edgar, high up on a power line. After a rock, paper, scissors competition to determine who's going to go up there and get him, Val climbs up and find that Edgar is dead. 

When the doctor examines the late Edgar, he determines that Edgar died from dehydration.

The second scene occurs when Val and Earl drive past farmer Fred's heard of sheep. All they find left of the sheep are carcasses and sheep parts. 

When they start calling out for Fred, Val finds the farmer's dirty brown hat on the ground. He picks it up, and underneath is Fred's face poking out of the soil, the shock of pain and fear still frozen on this face. 

That particular scene is what gave me nightmares as a kid - I was nine years old at the time of its release.  

I think, overall, the premise of man-eating worms sensing prey through vibrations is a fun idea, but is stretched thinner and thinner, sequel by sequel. 

There are good things to be found in each movie. 

But how do you continue the storyline of man-eating monsters chasing people and make it interesting and fun rather than repetitive and boring?  

The Tremors sequels (especially parts two and five) clearly took some inspiration from Jurassic Park, but only changed settings and species in the general story line, especially in a scene in part five with the bipedal shrieker is chasing two victims through a kitchen. I talked about this in my podcast. 

Some things in the sequels are fun and entertaining. Still by the time I got to part seven, I was anxious to be done with Tremors. There just wasn't enough new, original material to keep me invested. 

Where the sequels fail is in imagination (more or less), and exploring more about the graboids save for their unusual life cycle from worm, to bipedal heat-sensing creatures, to ass blasters, to baby worms that molt into graboids. 

There's more room for exploration in Tremors than in a franchise like Jurassic Park. Dinosaurs are certainly more implemented in facts than graboids.

By part six, I was 100 percent convinced the franchise was reduced to just one big cash grab, leaving nothing for audiences to care about. All the main characters are gone, except for Michael Gross's recurring character. By the last movie, Burt Gummer was starting to become repetitive.   

Nevertheless, the first movie is an enjoyable movie that works very well with so much going for it.  

I intend to dedicate more months next year to other horror franchises - The Omen, The Amityville Horror, Puppet Master, Phantasm, Hellraiser, Children of the Corn to throw out some titles. 

December will be "SequelCember" as I'll be looking at various horror sequels throughout the month! 

Other reviews coming soon...

72) Lake Mungo (2008)

"I feel like something bad is going to happen to me."

Director

Joel Anderson

Cast

Talia Zucker - Alice Palmer

Martin Sharpe - Mathew Palmer

Rosie Traynor - June Palmer

David Pledger - Russell Palmer

Steve Jodrell - Ray Kemeny

Back in 2006, advertisements for the "After Dark Horrorfest" (an annual horror film festival which featured eight independent horror movies) started airing. 

Also referred to as "8 Films to Die For," the ads I saw made these titles seem like they were the most horrific of horror films made.

Of course I was completely captivated, and managed to catch a few of these films such Gravedancers, Wicked Little Things, and Penny Dreadful. And they were alright at best. 

In 2011, the "Horrorfest" was replaced with "After Dark Originals" which I believe still distributes independent horror movies.

Even Snoop Dogg got in on the action with an anthology movie called Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror which stars Danny Trejo, Billy Dee Williams, and Ernie Hudson. This was the "popular?" ninth film amidst the eight films at the 2006 festival. 

I haven't seen it but being from the Bay Area, I can't imagine a hood more freaky than East Oakland. 

Occasionally, I find some of these movies mixed in with other horror titles. I still come across movies under the label "8 Films to Die For" from time to time. Normally they're pre-owned copies.

Even so, I've paid little attention to them until now. That's because someone recommended one of these movies to me under the promise I wouldn't be disappointed.

Lake Mungo is an independent horror movie from Australia, released in 2008 and is part of the the Horrorfest list of movies.

It's a "mockumentary" film mixed with the found-footage style of horror movie making. I didn't know that going in, so when I found the movie on Amazon Prime and started watching, I thought I selected the wrong film. 

Lake Mungo centers on the drowning of a teenage girl named Alice Palmer (Talia Zucker) while she and her family are on a trip to a dam near Ararat, Australia. 

After days and days of searching, rescue teams find a body at the bottom of the lake. They believe it's Alice though her face is deformed having been submerged for so long. 

Following the funeral, the Palmer family begin witnessing strange activity around their home. 

Alice's brother, Mathew (Martin Sharpe) who has a keen interest in photography, sets up cameras around the house and inadvertently captures several images of Alice in various parts of the home. 

Alice's dad, Russell (David Pledger) even claims he witnessed his daughter walk into her bedroom while he was sitting on her bed reminiscing.

These sightings push her parents to exhume the body from the gravesite to ensure without any doubts that the body found at Lake Mungo was truly their daughter. And it is.

Her mother, June Palmer (Rosie Traynor) consults a physic, Ray Kemeny (Steve Jodrell) who tries to help the family, but fails to mention an important piece of information.

They soon learn a dark secret Alice kept from everyone - a secret no one expected. 

I'll leave the synopsis at that though there's still much more to the story. It's a movie I really don't want to spoil.

The movie succeeds impressively in making a documentary style production that's both frightening and intriguing. 

Fear isn't just found in the movie's paranormal elements and realism. It's in the mystery that seems to slowly envelope the audience as the movie progresses. What dark secrets do our loved ones hide? And how will we react when the truth finally inserts itself into our lives? 

There is little grotesqueries, but plenty of engrossing points and foreboding dread throughout. 

Lake Mungo also lures you into watching it again as the movie ends showing you what you probably missed the first time. 

This is truly a modern ghost story told through modern means, and it's depicted beautifully. 

Sometimes found footage films lose sight of the fact they're precisely that- found footage. They begin to tell a chronological story that diminishes the realism, and gives the movie makers away. 

Lake Mungo keeps the documentary style going, and maintains the realism from beginning to end while throwing the audience some unexpected twists.

Some of the line delivery felt like unscripted dialogue just as you'd see in a real documentary. Other times, it leans a little too close to sounding as though the actors are delivering lines they rehearsed rather than giving statements on the spot as they're interviewed in front of a camera.

Nevertheless, it's a well constructed movie that explores death and familial relationships.

I read one review from The Hollywood Reporter that called the build-up "slow." I disagree. 

I was brought into the story almost immediately. I was curious from the beginning where this was going to go.

Many comments I came across online call Lake Mungo a "hidden gem" of a horror film. Now that I agree with. It's very much an underrated movie in the genre, and one I recommend.

71) Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)

The dead have their ways. The dead don't rest easy.

Director

Alfred Sole

Cast

Linda Miller - Catherine Spages

Paula Sheppard - Alice Spages

Brooke Shields - Karen Spages

Mildred Clinton - Mrs. Tredoni

Rudolph Willrich - Fr. Tom

Niles McMaster - Dom Spages

Somehow the movie Alice, Sweet Alice hasn't quite made it into a more prominent place among generally well-known movies in pop culture horror.  

For a psychological slasher horror movie, it deserves to be named among titles such as Pyscho, The Omen, The Bad Seed, Carrie and dare I say, The Good Son. 

It's a low-budget movie that's underrated among mainstream audiences, though horror enthusiasts and students who study it in film school are likely familiar with it. There's a lot in this film that's memorable, including it being actress Brooke Shields' film debut.

To begin with, the story is well told and engrossing. 

Alice, Sweet Alice takes place in Paterson, New Jersey, where divorced mom Catherine Spages (Linda Miller) is raising her nine-year old daughter Karen (Brooke Shields) and 12-year old daughter Alice (Paula Shepperd). 

As devout Catholics, Catherine is preparing Karen for her first Holy Communion while Alice carries some jealousy towards her young sister. Like any bout of sibling rivalry, Alice believes Karen gets more positive attention from mom than she does.

Alice has a creepy translucent face mask she uses to scare Karen after stealing her porcelain doll and running into a warehouse as her sister runs after her. 

After scaring her sister, Alice threatens to hurt her if she tells anyone. 

The sisters also wear yellow raincoats with the name of their Catholic school on them. 

On the day of Alice's first Communion, Catherine can't find Alice anywhere while Mass is commencing.

Meanwhile, as the first Communicants process out from the sacristy, Karen is last in line. Just before she walks out, a person wearing the same translucent mask and yellow raincoat grabs her from behind and strangles her without witnesses present. 

The masked person then places Karen's body into a bench compartment, and lays a lit Communion candle on top of the dead child's body. 

After the priest distributes Communion to all the children and returns to the altar, Alice emerges from an adjacent room, and kneels down for Communion. As the priest sees Alice and returns to the Communion rail to give her the host, one of the nuns smells smoke coming from the sacristy. She follows the odor to the source, and discovers smoke wafting from the bench compartment. She opens it and screams right before the priest places the host on Alice's tongue.

Startled faithful inside the church all cram their way to see where the scream is coming from. Catherine's sister, Annie (Jane Lowry), sees her niece's dead body and rushes back into the church to stop Catherine from witnessing the horrific sight. 

As the police investigation begins, Catherine and her ex-husband Dominick also begin investigating Karen's murder on their own. 

Of course Catherine doesn't believe her daughter is responsible, though later begins to doubt if she is actually innocent. 

Paula Sheppard in Alice, Sweet Alice

Annie moves in with Catherine for emotional support. However, she doesn't get along well with Alice and the two begin arguing. 

Later, as Annie is heading downstairs in the apartment building, the same person with the translucent mask and yellow raincoat leaps out and begins stabbing her in the leg. Annie is able to escape, collapses out on the sidewalk in the pouring rain. 

The apartment landlord, Mr. Alphonso (Alphonso DeNoble), who's familiar with his tenants, is suspect of Alice's involvement in Karen's death as he knows what she's hiding in the building's basement.

Alice doesn't shy from hurling insults and obscenities at Alphonso, even before Karen's death. He taunts her about his suspicions, and then tries molesting the girl. She escapes, however, and doesn't tell anyone what he tried to do.

Catherine goes to visit Annie in the hospital where Annie tells her, the doctors and authorities present that it was Alice who stabbed her. 

Of course, Catherine doesn't believe it and pleads desperately with her sister not to blame Alice. 

Alice, meanwhile, claims it was Karen who stabbed Annie stating she saw her sister. She's forced to stay in a psychiatric institute for evaluation while the investigation takes place.

The parish priest, Fr. Tom (Rudolph Willrich) who lives with an aging Monsignor in a parochial house along with their housekeeper, Mrs. Tridoni (Mildred Clinton), tries to help the family as best he can in this difficult situation. 

There are a few slow moments in the movie, but it definitely makes up for these moments with an unexpected plot twist I didn't see coming. This twist is what starts the third act, which really intensifies the last part of the film.

It's worth mentioning actor Alphonso DeNoble's role in this movie, and recognizing him as an actor. 

Not only did he star as the overweight, cat-loving, scummy landlord, DeNoble was also in two other horror movies - Blood Sucking Freaks and Night of the Zombies. The latter was his final role. 

From what I have read, DeNoble shot himself after an incident in which he became stuck in a turnstyle due to his obesity. The event was supposedly reported in a newspaper, which must have been embarrassing for him. His performance in this movie deserves recognition as his acting is in his eyes and his demeanor. The audience knows he's a pervert just by his initial attitude towards Alice. 

His performance is meant to gain the audience's disgust, and he manages to do precisely that in all his scenes. His character's appearance is disgusting and sloppy, matching the filthiness of his soul.  

The camera angles are also memorable, adding to the tone of the film and playing into the tense situations. Some angles are birds-eye-views, while others are low angles making certain characters look menacing. In one scene, the camera is attached to Alice's bicycle as she rides it. I can't recall another movie from this period where the camera is used like this. 

In fact, the camera work reminds me a bit of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining which was released four years later. 

While watching Alice, Sweet Alice, I paid close attention to Linda Miller's performance. I wondered how an actor could convey the turmoil and grief of a mother whose daughter is murdered in such a horrific way, and inside their Church - a place of sanctuary - right in the middle of her child's first holy communion. And on top of that, she has to contend with the possibility her other daughter is responsible. It's such a chaotic state to be in, how does an actor relate to that in order to convey it realistically?

Miller pulled it off. Her character's emotions are everywhere. She's hysterical in some instances, as would be expected. In other moments, she's curled up on her Karen's bed holding tightly onto her raincoat with her mind deep in memories. 

In other scenes, she's determined and resolute to find out who killed her daughter. Or, she's confused, emotionally defeated, and at the end of her wits when facing Alice's breakdown inside the psychiatric institute, wanting to take her home but unable to. There is a lot of different kinds of pain Miller portrays. Watching her character constantly switch emotions while attempting to cope is amazing.

The weight on her character's shoulders is incredible. I would love to know how she prepared for this role. 

Incidentally, I learned that Linda Miller is the daughter of Jackie Gleason, and was married to Jason Miller (Fr. Karras from The Exorcist) for a short while. And Jason and Linda had a son, Jason Patric, who played "Michael" in one of the best vampire movies ever, The Lost Boys (1987). There's quite a horror movie lineage going on here.

Alphonso DeNoble

With the original title Communion, which the movie was released under in London, Alice, Sweet Alice takes inspiration from the 1973 thriller Don't Look Now as well as from Alfred Hitchcock.

I get the strong impression this movie is saturated with themes. 

The Catholicism depicted is that of the old Rite of Mass prior to the changes of the Second Vatican Council which began in 1962 - the movie is set in 1961. Yet, both overzealousness found with some Catholics as well as the breakdown of the American family in the midst of Catholic adherence and devotion are both depicted. 

During all the events of the movie, there's a lack of understanding among the characters as far as emotional behavior in children go. We see Alice's parents clueless and completely dependent on child psychologists as they observe their oldest daughter's emotional deterioration, chalking her bad behavior up to precisely that - bad behavior. 

I picked up on a subtle anti-religious tone. 

Director Alfred Sole was formerly a Catholic. Later professing himself as an "ex-Catholic," he directed an adult film which led to obscenity charges, and finally to a formal excommunication from the Catholic Diocese of Paterson, N.J. 

There's a lot of Catholic images via statues and icons throughout the movie as the Spages family breaks apart, innocence is murdered, and Alice's emotional turmoil escalates. These portrayals are mixed with transitioning religious imagery.

Tight spaces are used a lot in the movie as well. Characters are often enclosed in smalls spaces whether they're sitting in the pews and need to scoot over to let someone in, or they're inside a parochial house, or the apartment stairwell. Spaces are small.

And subtle imagery hint towards Alice's mental state, which after viewing, I gather may either have a double meaning opposite of what the audience is led to believe. For example, Alice carries around her sister's porcelain doll which bears two different faces, one on each side of its head.

While the movie's overall depiction of religion versus psychology, Alice, Sweet Alice fails to grasp, or completely misunderstands the focus Catholicism. 

The director is too motivated by personal prejudice. Though I'm not an expert on psychology, I believe its focus is on the mind. 

Brooke Shields in her debut role.

Catholicism focuses on body and soul together, primarily the soul. But the movie implies the Church only focuses on the soul - so much so it doesn't understand anything else. Maybe its priests don't, that much is true. 

It's a serious talking point this movie leaves its audience. And it solidifies my opinion that Hollywood is usually terrible at portraying an accurate picture of religion - any religion.

Regardless, Alice, Sweet Alice is a rich horror movie that makes an effort to appeal to the audience's intellect (albeit with some misleading portrayals based on one person's bias) rather than just showing a hack n' slash movie. 

It's a well done horror mystery movie that keeps audiences shocked and thinking. 

70) Horsehead (2014)

"Unlock the secrets of your deepest dreams."

Director

Romain Basset

Cast

Lilly-Fleur Pointeaux - Jessica

Catriona MacColl - Catelyn

Murray Head - Jim

Gala Besson - Rose

Generally, in horror, the last thing a character would want to do is fall asleep. Bedtime is guaranteed death in a horror movie.

"Whatever you do, don't fall asleep" Nancy told Glen in 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street. 

Sleep is our most vulnerable time. It's the closest we come to the "big sleep" while we're alive. 

With 2014's mystery fantasy horror, Horsehead, sleep is crucial for the protagonist, Jessica (Lilly-Fleur Pointeaux).

I'll be honest (not that I'm ever dishonest), I think I should watch this movie a second time before writing a review. I have a feeling I may may have missed a crucial point or two. I don't know for sure. There is visually and metaphorically a lot going on in this movie that it wouldn't surprise me if I missed a plot point or two. 

But regardless of that possibility, I'm attempting a review anyways.

The movie begins with a vivid dream in which we see an older women in a bed surrounded with crimson drapes. 

A demonic entity with the head of a horse slowly peaks in through the crimson revealing part of its face and razor sharp nails tipping its long fingers. Snorts of mist shoot out its large nostrils. 

The woman on the bed is in a state of paralysis. She tries to fight it, and scream, as this horse-headed figure looms over her. 

Jessica then wakes up from a vivid dream. She's been having recurring nightmares since her youth, but they don't mean anything to her. It's as though she's having someone else's dreams. 

With all these bizarre dreams, Jessica has been studying the psychology behind dreaming, as well as engaging in a therapeutic practice with her mentor and boyfriend, Sean. Her goal is to determine the reason and meaning behind her realistic dreams.

After the maternal grandmother's death, whom Jessica hardly knew, she reluctantly returns to her family home to stay with her mother despite not getting along too well. 

When Jessica arrives home, she finds her grandmother's body laid out for a wake in the room right next to hers. 

During Jessica's first night home, she has another vivid and disturbing dream involving her deceased grandmother. 

In the dream, she witnesses her grandmother on the bedroom floor searching for a key. 

Shortly after this experience, Jessica comes down with a fever and has to stay in bed.

So, she decides to use this time to practice lucid dreaming - dreams in which the person is aware they're dreaming, and therefor obtain some amount of control over their dream. 

Per Sean's advice, she learns methods to accomplishing lucid dreams. 

While being in a lethargic ill state during most of her visit at home, she becomes good at lucid dreaming and is able to roam and explore her reoccurring dream. 

Jessica witnesses the same demonic presence we saw at the beginning, as well as a wolf which she's instructed to follow within her dreams. 

These dreams are also inhabited by somewhat warped versions of her mother, grandfather, and grandmother. 

Jessica starts learning dark secrets about her family through from her dreaming. 

Meanwhile, her mother, whose shocked to hear what Jessica is learning about the family, attempts to give her medication in an attempt to cease those dreams.

But Jessica doesn't take the medication, and continues exploring and learning shocking truths about her family's history.  

Like anybody's dream, this movie is surreal throughout. 
Reality and dream state are distinct from each other, there's a lot taking place.

What Jessica is realizing about her family is told through imagery more than exposition. 

It's interesting to see how her mother doesn't seemed surprised with her daughter's dreams, but focuses more in attempting to stop them. It's as though she, too, has the same gift of dreaming.

Pointeaux's acting is really hard to judge. Her character is sick, and constantly sluggish when she's not asleep. How can an actor make such a character stand out to an audience? When we see her within her dreams, she's normally acting as an observer along with the audience. I don't mean to insinuate she's a bad actor. 

I suppose her portrayal of a sluggish girl trying to embrace lucid dreaming is as best she can do. The effort in portraying a torn young girl is evident.

But despite Horsehead being horror, with peculiar and surreal scenes, the movie leans more towards mystery and fantasy, with scares based on frightening imagery. It doesn't stoop to cheap jump scares and haunted house grotesqueries (not that there's anything wrong with those). 

The pace, though, is as sluggish as all the sleeping Jessica does. 

It took some effort to become invested in what was taking place. I couldn't grasp certain elements, particularly a few moments of eroticism one dream leaned into between Jessica and a young version of her grandmother. I fail to see its relevance. 

Water also plays a significant role, but I think a second viewing might help me understand what that role is. Cleansing from the burden and mental stagnation of reality, I think?

Horsehead is a movie that takes itself seriously. I think its pretentiousness works against it. The audience then needs to take it just as seriously. I don't see how it can. 

The movie lacks attention grabbing scenarios, and interesting characters. The only character I was really interested in was the dead grandmother. Why was she reaching out to her granddaughter through sleep? What was her intentions and interest in Jessica?

I kept asking myself why should I care about Jessica and her dreams. Her relationship with her mother didn't seem terribly sour, though it was imperfect. Again, I'm willing to watch this film again hoping some missing parts can be filled.  

The purpose is to engage the audience's imaginations rather than scare them for over an hour. It's story is thought-provoking to a certain degree. But I would moan and sigh if someone suggested Horsehead for a Friday night scare flick. 

Horror in Omaha

 A recent extended weekend vacation to Omaha brought about a horrific night - dinner at "The Monster Club" at Omaha's Old Market area. 
A cocktail (a Moscow Mule) and a smoked monster burger left me begging for my life.

The bloody, horrific, decaying decor killed more than my appetite. I'd go again in a heartbeat, or that of an artery. 

It was a fun time! And they're not a sponsor.

 

69) Family Possessions (2016)

Some family secrets should remain...buried.

Director

Tommy Faircloth

Cast

Leah Wiseman - Rachel Dunn

Erika Edwards - Maggie

Jason Vail - Steve Dunn

Morgan Monnig - Sarah Dunn

Andrew Wicklum - Andy Dunn

Felissa Rose - Susan

Mark Patton - Tyson

Lizzie Mears - Tristen

I pulled this movie from the part of my horror library that increased slightly thanks to a subscription to horrorpack.com. 
I recently published a post on this blog, along with a podcast on anchor.fm, regarding the large number of exorcism horror movies there are these days. I thought this movie would land in the heap of such movies.
Family Possessions is an independent supernatural horror. The word "possessions" is a bit deceptive, though. The cover art didn't help correct my assumptions.

This isn't a demonic possession story as I initially assumed; however, there is a spirit attempting to influence a person from the outside. I believe this is referred to as demonic obsession. 

Rather, "possessions" refers to items handed down from grandmother to grandchild. It sure fooled me. 

Family Possessions, based on an allegedly true story, centers on a young girl named Rachel Dunn (Leah Wiseman) whose grandmother recently passed away. Rachel inherits her grandmother's house instead of her father. Both she and her father are a bit confused as to why his mother left her the house and all its possessions instead of her son.

Per her grandmother's wishes,  her family - parents Sarah (Morgan Monnig) and Steve (Jason Veil) and younger brother, Andy (Andrew Wicklum) - can live in the house as long as Rachel is living under the roof, too. If she decides to move out, as she is preparing to go to college, the house is to be liquidated and all money must be donated to charity. 

As the family moves into the new home, and tries to settle into the new town, they're treated rather coldly by locals. 

Rachel can't help feeling trapped by her new acquisitions. She wants to start asserting her independence, but feels owning a home is a heavy weight she doesn't want to bear.

Her parents are struggling in their marriage as well and that's weighing on her and Andy. 

Rachel heads out to look for a new job in the small community. She meets Maggie (Erika Edwards) during her walk into town to apply at a cafe with a "help wanted" sign. 

Maggie seems a bit odd at first but takes a liking to Rachel. Maggie also acts apprehensive towards the fact that Rachel moved into that specific house.

Erika Edwards (left) and Leah Wiseman.

They both walk to the cafe where the manager Tyson (played by horror icon Mark Patton - A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge) and mean barista girl Tristen (Elizabeth Mears) are cold and condescending to both girls. 

Rachel also meets Kevin (Michael David Wilson) as she fills out the employment application. He owns a club right next door, and offers her a job. The two fall in love, which later arouses jealousy in Tristen.

She and Tyson also ridicule Rachel for moving into the new house. It's clear that the house and her grandma have a less than savory reputation in the community. 

Rachel also begins noticing paranormal occurrences inside the home, which she dismisses as insignificant. 

But Maggie informs Rachel about what the locals thought of her late grandma as they believed she was an actual witch. Meanwhile, Andy also beginnings noticing ghostly goings-on, even catching a frightening glimpse of his dead grandmother.

Maggie, who lives with her verbally abusive alcoholic mother Susan (played by another icon of horror cinema, Felissa Rose - Sleepaway Camp) borrows a book of spells, written by grandma, which Rachel found in the attic. 

Maggie learns as much as she can about the grandmother, the house, and why she left it to Rachel instead of her own son. 

This leads Rachel to some hard truths about her grandmother, and what her intentions were with her granddaughter.

While Family Possessions has a suspenseful buildup which kept me invested throughout, it falls flat on its face in the last act of the movie. 

The ending was one big expositional pay off. I wanted to see the haunting bubble over into something frightening and unreal. Rather, it fizzled out with a lot of talk and little to no action.

This began getting serious with a twist in the second act. And when it comes to story telling, there's a solid rule that needs to be followed. Show! Don't tell. 

The writers for Family Possessions broke that rule like a clueless rebel. I understand that, perhaps, some exposition would have been necessary to a point. Still, there's room for a horrific, scary last act.  It was building up throughout, after all.  

Mark Patton in Family Possessions - his first role in 31 years.

In one scene, Tyson finds himself trapped in the kitchen of the cafe, staring at someone off screen as the audiences see a hand clutching a knife that's just about to be come down on him. It slices into his wrist, and a shrilling screams comes out of his mouth reminiscent of Patton's high-pitched scream as Jesse in A Nightmare on Elm Street II. 

In fact, this is Patton's first film in 31 years.

I couldn't find any articles or stories about the real events that inspired this movie. Nor did I find any reference to what those events are, or where they took place.

There's a parental theme in this movie that consists of parents lashing out at their children in some form or another. 

Maggie is verbally abused by her own mother. Steve is purposely overlooked by his mother when it came time to distributing her goods after her death. And Sarah seems to treat her son less fairly than she does Rachel. She's not cruel or abusive, but there obvious signs whom she favors more.

Family Possessions has good qualities helping it to be an intriguing horror story, especially as it claims to be based on true events. And with Mark Patton and Felissa Rose appearing in this picture, it has potential to be something fun to watch in the genre, until it deflates at the end. Show! Don't tell. How soon Family Possessions forgot this rule. And it forgot it at the end of the movie- the worst time to forget.  

68) Billy the Kid vs. Dracula (1966)

"I haven't met a man yet that a bullet couldn't stop."

Director

William Beaudine

Cast

John Carradine - Dracula

Chuck Courtney - William "Billy the Kid" Bonney

Melinda Plowman - Betty Bentley

Virginia Christine - Eva Oster

Walter Janowitz - Franz Oster

Among my office space decor hangs a postcard pinned to my cubical divider. The image is of a vintage Mexican lobby card for a movie called Billy the Kid vs. Dracula. I bought this postcard ten years ago at a local used book store and hung on to it with the intention that someday, I would find that movie. 

Though I'd never seen the movie until now, the title alone led me to an assumption it was among the schlockiest of horror movie titles I had ever heard of. I've wanted to see this ultimate showdown ever since I bought that postcard. The title is as appealing and enticing to me as Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. That's a real movie, by the way, which was released two years before this one. But unlike that title, Billy the Kid vs. Dracula doesn't give away the ending. This is from the mid-sixties - an era when the good guys always win in the movies. 

The film starts as a fake bat (shhh...we're not supposed to know it's fake. Just pretend it's real) glides behind the opening credits. 

We then witness Dracula (James Carradine) sneak into a campsite as a family is fast asleep. He seduces a young girl with a deathly, hypnotizing glare, and then bites her on the neck. Her mother wakes up to find her daughter lifeless with teeth marks on her neck. It's clear to her what has happened.  

A stagecoach heading to Wickenburg, carrying some wealthy individuals, is on its way to a scheduled stop in the town of Papago Wells for an overnight stay.

On board is Mary Ann Bentley, her brother James Underhill, a Whiskey salesman named Joe Flake, and a mysterious passenger the others don't realize is Dracula himself. As the four riders chat during their trip, Mrs. Bentley starts talking about her daughter Betty Bentley.

She shows Dracula her picture, which unbeknownst to Mrs. Bentley, arouses his passion. He now has eyes for Betty and intends to find her. He doesn't say this to Mrs. Bentley of course, but the audience knows.

When they stop at their destination, Dracula spots an Indian girl named Nana who works for the stagecoach company along with other members of her tribe. 

As night arrives, he transforms into a (rubber) bat and visits her. He then seduces the poor girl, leaving her dead. Those of her tribe find her body and blame her death on white people. They don't hesitate. Her tribe members chase the stagecoach after it departs the next morning and attack it, killing the Mrs. Bentley, James Underhill, and the Whiskey salesman. Dracula stays behind in Papago Wells. 

Once news of the attack gets back into town, Dracula visits the destroyed stagecoach and steals Underhill's papers and the picture of Betty.

Meanwhile, Billy the Kid (Chuck Courtney - Pet Sematary 1989) has turned himself around and is no longer the outlaw he's well known to be. 

He's not only a reformed man, Billy also happens to be working on the Bentley farm and is engaged to Betty. 

He heads to town to await the stagecoach and pick up Betty's mother and Uncle, but is met by Dracula instead at the hotel the coach is scheduled to stop at. Dracula poses as Betty's uncle whom she has never seen before and news of the attack reaches Billy's ears. 

James Carradine as Dracula.

When Billy meets Dracula posing as James Underhill, Billy learns about the attack on the stagecoach and the death of the passengers. Dracula gives a claim of what went down. And while there's no reason for Billy and Betty not to believe him, others at the hotel believe the entire situation to be the work of a vampire. Billy doesn't believe that, of course. 

Dracula returns with Billy to the Bentley farm.

One of the help at the Bentley farm, a woman named Eva (Virginia Christine), is convinced the man posing as James Underhill is a vampire. Billy, however, isn't convinced despite her insistence.

Dracula works to impose himself into the family, ultimately to seduce Betty and make her his bride. While this is playing out, a farmhand challenges Billy to a gunfight at the Bentley ranch. 

Billy shoots the farmhand in self-defense, but is still forced to leave town after being arrested by the Sheriff. Meanwhile, Dracula takes authority upon himself as Betty's fake uncle and forces Billy never to return to the ranch again. 

He gets one of the ranch hands to force Billy out, and even threatens Billy that if he returns the farm hand has permission to kill him. Dracula also fires Eva and her husband, so he can be alone with Betty. 

Betty is forced to call off the engagement under the direction of her "Uncle." And the farm hand, under the instruction of Dracula, begins forcing Billy to leave town altogether. 

But when Eva returns to the ranch, and finds Betty's neck bearing bite marks, she knows what's up. It was her daughter who fell victim to Dracula in the beginning of the movie. Her suspicions are confirmed, and she finally convinces Billy, who didn't believe in vampires before, to face off with Dracula once and for all.

As schlocky as the title may suggest, and as low budget the movie is with all its laughable special effects and rubber bats, it somehow manages to be somewhat engaging. 

Carradine is able to create a character the audience loves to hate. His evil, callous, insatiable appetite, and lack of empathy are clear and despicable. In other words, he makes a decent Count Dracula.

This same year, Director William Beaudine directed a western horror movie Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter. Evidently, it was released the same day as Billy the Kid vs. Dracula. That's a fair amount of horror from the old west in one day. 

But with a run time barely over an hour, the movie is a lot of buildup, albeit somewhat effective, for a quick resolution - the fight we were waiting for. It just fizzles out like a candle at the end of its life. It's just a shrivel, and a puff of smoke. 

The audience does get a fight but I know I felt swindled. It could have been so much more. There was room for more, after all. 

The movie didn't need to make Billy the Kid a redeemed man. I was expecting to see an iconic outlaw of the west face off the unholy, undead monster of Transylvania. That would have been much more epic and satisfying. Clearly, the producers were trying to give audiences a character they could cheer for without feeling guilty about it. This is not who Billy was. In a way, it defeats the purpose of the movie. It's like if Freddy Krueger turned over a new leaf and became a day care provider sometime right before 2003's Freddy vs. Jason. Why bother paying the price of the ticket?  

Billy was a gunfighter who killed eight men at age 21. He was a fugitive. An outlaw. Why change him because he's up against Dracula?

Despite its obscurity, Billy the Kid vs. Dracula has potential to be a fun reboot as this movie could use stronger writing. For something this creative, it deserves a better treatment. Billy just needs to be depicted as the outlaw audiences expect him to be. Not the do-gooder, lover boy no one wants him to be. 

The movie also stars famous western actor Harry Carey, Jr., (Back to the Future III, Gremlins) and Marjorie Bennett (Mary Poppins, 101 Dalmatians, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?) 

I thought I'd be able to find it on YouTube when I first heard of it, thinking it had to be public domain. I falsely assumed it was at least the king of low-budget obscure movies which no one today really cares enough whether or not it's available on social media despite potential copyright infringements. But I finally found a copy to watch. Lucky me. 

It's a fright night, creature feature flick fair enough for one viewing. And props to Carradine for making a Dracula I'm sure going to remember from now one. 

Still, with the trend of reboots in a solid place these days, I'd go see a remake of Billy the Kid vs. Dracula. I'll also keep the postcard up at my desk.