118) To the Devil... a Daughter (1976)

"Excommunicate! It is not heresy, and I will not recant."

Director

Peter Sykes

Cast

Richard Widmark - John Verney

Nastassja Kinski - Catherine Beddows

Christopher Lee - Fr. Michael Rayner

Denholm Elliott - Henry Beddows

Honor Blackman - Anna Fountain

Anthony Valentine - David Kennedy

When it comes to horror, I generally don't like movies involving possessions, demons, the occult, and Satanists. I find movies in this subgenre made in the last ten or fifteen years to be stale and unoriginal. Many of them have nothing to offer. 

The demonic aspects are made to look more powerful while the good - namely, God - remain hidden away somewhere unapproachable and aloof. 
Possession movies specifically are a dime a dozen these days. And a lot of these films simply portray what Hollywood thinks the devil is capable of. I understand that movie producers are trying to maintain suspension of disbelief for the sake of entertainment. There are a few movies that are really well made and worth watching. Films such as "The Exorcist" and "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" certainly offer the audiences a lot more than most of these spooky-for-spooky-sake exorcism movies so common these days. 

"The Exorcist" for instance is a grand performance. It's a film meant to be seen in a filled theater. It leaves the audience with something very heavy and very real to think about. It's a movie depicts what God can do rather than only what the devil can do. 

Otherwise, all these other cheap, plainly dumb exorcism/cult/Satanic movies leave the audience with the erroneous idea that we're all at evil's mercy. Don't bother relying on God to help. All you need is intelligence, or at least cooperation, and maybe you'll survive. It's everyone for themselves. 
I've seen the title "To the Devil... a Daughter" before. I've passed over it while browsing through horror movies on various streaming services. But I didn't know much about it. All I did knew was that it stars legendary actor, Christopher Lee, and that it's produced by the British film company Hammer Film Productions. Hammer is especially known for their remakes of Universal Monster movies back in the 1950s and 1960s - Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy, etc. Many of those movies stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.

I happened to stumble upon a copy of "To the Devil...a Daughter" at work while shelving movies. Surprised to see it, I decided to borrow it. 

The plot centers around a nun named Catherine Beddows (Nastassja Kinski) who belongs to a heretical religious order called "Children of the Lord" based in Bavaria. The order was founded by a heretical excommunicated Roman Catholic priest named Fr. Michael Rayner (Christopher Lee).  
Catherine's father, Henry Beddows (Denholm Elliott - "Raiders of the Lost Arc," "Trading Places"), asks an American occult writer, John Verney (Richard Widmark), to pick her up at London's Heathrow Airport upon her arrival. Henry wants her to stay with Verney while she's in London. 
Verney learns that Catherine's late mother was also in the same religious order, and had arranged to place Catherine there as well. 
Rayner wants Catherine back and to take part in a cult ritual like her mother had.

Verney does what he can to protect her from Rayner, who uses black magic to influence Catherine to come to him. He doesn't understand why Rayner is after Catherine in the first place. 

Christopher Lee as Fr. Michael Rayner.

But he quickly figures out that the religious order has among them practicing Satanists who worship a demon named Astaroth. And they want to use Catherine as an avatar for the demon. The ceremony is required to be performed on the victim's 18th birthday. And Catherine happens to be 18.
Verney is armed with knowledge of the occult, and this particular ceremony. He uses this knowledge to face off against Rayner, and try to rescue Catherine.

Lee is a natural at being an intimidating and daunting presence on screen. He manages to create such a presence in so many of his movies, from Hammer's Dracula films, to his villainous role as Francisco Scaramanga in the 007 movie "Man With the Golden Gun," and especially his portrayal of Saruman in the "Lord of the Rings" movies. This is just as true in "To the Devil... a Daughter."

Some of the imagery in this movie is disturbing. That's especially the case in two scenes were Catherine has visions of a blood-covered human fetus. At first she sees it in a mirror. Later, she has a dream that this fetus is crawling up her bed sheets, and then nestling on her bare stomach as she adores and pets it like a mother would do to her child.

Another scene depicts Rayner killing a newborn baby as part of the ceremony with Catherine. He smiles as the blood pours into a chalice. It's quick, but it's there. 
Unfortunately, I think what stands out most about this movie is its absolutely terrible ending. Aside from the cast, that might be its claim to fame. 
At the end, Rayner has Catherine lying on a stone alter as he conducts his blasphemous Satanic ritual. He pours the blood, which one of the cult members completely drained out of her own body earlier in the movie, in a circle around the ritual site.
When Verney comes to stop him and save Catherine, he uses a rock to knock out one of the cult members standing guard at the gate of the property. 
As Rayner is about to "baptize" Catherine in blood, Veyner attacks him and knocks him out with the same rock that has the blood of the cult member still on it. Apparently, the blood on the rock allows him to break through the circle. When the camera pans back to where Rayner was lying unconscious in the grass, he's gone. 
Veyner rescues Catherine and then the credits role. It's incredible how poorly edited and underwhelming it is. 
Evidently, the original ending resembled an earlier Hammer movie called "Scars of Dracula" from 1970 which also stars Christopher Lee. 
So, producers pieced together a different ending with footage they already shot. I guess this is why Rayner is suddenly and mysteriously gone after being knocked unconscious. 
Based on the novel of the same name by famed thriller and occult author, Dennis Wheatley, "To the Devil...a Daughter" certainly has blasphemous, Satanic, and sensual imagery. Honestly, the general story line is captivating and daring with a few ridiculous and silly scenes here and there. But this movie doesn't strike me as a promotion or glorification of the occult nor Satanism. 

There's a line in "To the Devil... a Daughter" that summarizes the Satanic cult setting well enough. 
In one scene, John Verney tells two of his colleagues, "Ninety-eight percent of so-called Satanists are nothing but pathetic freaks who get their kicks outta dancing naked in freezing churchyards and using the devil as an excuse for getting some sex. But then there's that other two percent. I'm not so sure about them."

Nastassja Kinski as Catherine Beddows.

This is Hammer's third horror film based on the works of Wheatley. "The Devil Rides Out" (also known as "The Devil's Bride") and the adventure movie "The Lost Continent," both from 1968, are also based on his works. And it came out in the midst of this horror subgenre's popularity. 

The horror genre is sprinkled with cult-themed movies throughout its past. Titles such as "Häxan" (1922), "The 7th Victim" (1943) and "Curse of the Demon" (1956) are early examples. But cults and Satanism as a theme and as a scare tactic seems to take off in the sixties and seventies. 

So, it was well established by the time "To the Devil... a Daughter" was released.
Tigon British Film Productions had some popular films with an occult theme as well - "Witchfinder General" (1968) and "The Blood on Satan's Claws" (1971).
But, for Hammer Productions, movie studios in Hollywood got to this horror subgenre first with successful flicks such as "The Exorcist" (1973), "Rosemary's Baby" (1968) - a movie I didn't care much for - and "The Omen" (1976). 

It's worth mentioning some well-made films in the subgenre came out of the U.K. "The Wicker Man" (1973) for instance, which also stars Christopher Lee, is highly praised by film critics. Cinefantastique magazine calls it the "Citizen Kane of horror movies."

As I stated in a previous post called "The Haunting of Everything and Everyone, Everywhere (And Some Horror History)" this became a popular theme in horror back then (and continues to be) as good versus evil, faith and religion versus materialism, anti-establishmentarianism and atheism surfaced a bit more predominantly in society. 

The counter-culture's opposition of social norms became way too mainstream in the 1960s, carrying through to the 1970s. This extended into the religious sphere. The "Death of God" movement sprung up at this time, attempting to push God out and allow "alternatives" to fill the void via religious cults. The time was unfortunately ripe, and continues to be, for "unholy" films to emerge. Back in the sixties, Christianity was at a cusp not seen in the lifetime of anyone living in this decade. Major changes, especially in the Catholic Church, were taking place, the likes of which hadn't been seen in anyone's lifetime. Societies all around the world still haven't overcome it.

In many of this era's occult/demonic-themed films, the devil or pagan spirits seem to get the upper hand. If God is brought into the story, He's portrayed as remaining mysterious and hidden...not necessarily eager to intervene. 

In his book "Top 100 Horror Movies" writer Gary Gerani discusses the Hammer movie "The Devil Rides Out." 

"While not in the same relatable, culture-impacting league of mainstream hits like 'Rosemary's Baby' or 'The Exorcist,' 'The Devil's Bride' stands as an important entry in the occult movie pantheon, true to its literary inspiration and stylish in all departments. It is also the best demonology-themed thriller ever produced by Hammer," Gerani says. (p14)

The special feature mini-documentary on "To the Devil...a Daughter" DVD claims the movie was a financial success in the U.K. But Hammer Productions didn't see much of that money as it went to financiers. 

Known primarily for their remakes of Universal Monster films, Hammer soon found itself becoming a thing of the past after its release. 

Hammer has since made a bit of a come-back starting in 2007 with some well known horror titles such as "Let Me In" (2010), "The Woman in Black" (2012), and "The Lodge" (2019).  

Christopher Lee says in that documentary, in regards to when he was asked to star in the film,

"My argument was this particular subject [the occult] is a subject about which the public knows very little. It is incredibly dangerous. It is obscenely powerful. It is literally soul destroying. And if we make this film, we show the dangers of this kind of worship and belief."
Later in the interview, he says, "So, you're not making a film which people will find very exciting and thrilling and entertaining, you'll also be making a film which, in a very minor way, will be a form of propaganda."  

Richard Widmark as John Verney.

I don't know much about Wheatley nor his novels. From what little research I've done before writing this post, I get the impression he uses the devil and Satanism in his stories to show readers that the devil has a lot of influence in the world. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't get the impression Wheatley glamorizes or endorses Satanism nor the occult. A quick Google search brings results that he was Christian, had a Conservative world view, and opposed Nazism and Communism believing both were controlled by Satanic powers. 
As far as "To the Devil...a Daughter," it has a classic horror movie feel. That's certainly enjoyable. It doesn't want to pull any punches while trying to show the audience the gravity of the occult and its practices. This truly dark movie leans into ridiculousness and shock, though the effort is clear, to get the point across.

117) Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

"Every town has an Elm Street."

Director

Rachel Talalay

Cast

Robert Englund - Freddy Krueger

Lisa Zane - Maggie Burroughs / Katherine Krueger

Shon Greenblatt - John Doe

Yaphet Kotto - Doc

Breckin Meyer - Spencer Lewis

Ricky Dean Logan - Carlos Rodriguez

Lezlie Deane - Tracy Swan

The "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies are a favorite horror series of mine, more so than the "Friday the 13th", "Hellraiser", and "Child's Play" films. 

I mention those titles specifically because their respective monsters and maniacs are often lumped together in a sort of rogue's gallery along with Freddy Krueger - the knife-glove wielding "son of 100 maniacs" from the Nightmare series. 

The "Halloween" films - the first one especially - are a close second as far as favorites go. Honestly, I haven't seen all the movies in the "Halloween" franchise. At least I've seen the first one. That's the one that really matters. 

Freddy is who gave me nightmares in my youth - no pun intended. So, here I am including an Elm Street movie after poster 116 reviews before this.
So, why am I skipping to the sixth part of "A Nightmare on Elm Street?" Part of it is nostalgia. "Freddy's Dead" was the first horror movie I saw in a theater. I was 10-years old and somehow managed to talk my mom into letting me see this, despite its R rating. Part of it, too, is that part six is a far cry from what the Nightmare series begins with in part one, released in 1984.

I've seen all "A Nightmare on Elm Street" movies, including the 2003 crossover "Freddy vs. Jason" as well as the 2010 "A Nightmare on Elm Street" remake. I also own them all except for the 2010 remake.
I think I can quickly summarize my opinions of all nine movies in the franchise.
"A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984), directed by horror icon Wes Craven, is a true classic that stands out above other often mindless slasher flicks. With slasher movies depict dumb teenagers who make incoherent decisions when their life is on the line. In "A Nightmare on Elm Street" the antagonist, Freddy Krueger (aka the Springwood Slasher), goes after the children of Elm Street in Springwood, Ohio, within their dreams. He pursues these kids in retaliation against their parents who chased him down and killed him in vigilante justice. He especially squares off against the strong and fearless teenage heroine Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) in this first movie. She's the Laurie Strode type of character from the movie "Halloween."
"A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge" (1985) is a mediocre sequel. It puts Freddy up against a new teenager named Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton) whose family has moved into the house on Elm Street from the first film. While part two is a weaker film overall, the story line has just enough strength to be a memorable movie in the series. Freddy is still a menacing and terrifying presence on screen. And the film has memorable, freaky scenes. 
"A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" (1987) brings Nancy Thompson (played again by Heather Langenkamp) back from part one. It has some of the most memorable and truly nightmarish scenes out of all the movies. It's easily one of the best sequels in the series. Plus, we get some backstory into Freddy Krueger.
The nearly ridiculous "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master" (1988) is where the series begins to get campy and fail. It brings the franchise to a childish level. And Freddy Krueger starts coming across as a comedian than a terrifying entity.

The truly ridiculous "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child," (1989) is a hot mess. It has all the characteristics of a mere cash grab. Freddy the child killer certainly appeals to kids by this point. Thankfully, writers decided to end it all (at the time) with part six. They didn't bother putting the title "A Nightmare on Elm Street 6" on the poster and ads. Instead, they just slapped on the words "Freddy's Dead" in blocky red letters to let all the world know they were done.

Wes Craven, who directed the first Nightmare movie and none of the others, returns to the Elm Street director's chair with the 1994 film "Wes Craven's New Nightmare." It's a unique and creative horror movie thrown in the midst of an established franchise. It exists outside of the films yet is still a part of things. And it portrays Freddy (though it's not really him) as the dark, menacing and deadly threat he's supposed to be. I personally see this movie as a giant middle finger to what the sequels turned Freddy into - namely a sadistic looney tune. 

Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger in
"Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare."

"Freddy vs. Jason" (2003) is a movie loaded with crap. It was produced just to deliver the fight that fans of both the Nightmare and "Friday the 13th" movies waited years for. And in that regard, the movie truly delivers. It's really the kind of popcorn horror flick that helps make the genre a good time. It holds a place among titles like "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman" (1943), "King Kong vs. Godzilla" (1962), "Dracula vs. Frankenstein" (1971), or "Alien vs. Predator" (2004). 
And the 2010 remake, "A Nightmare on Elm Street" with Jackie Earle Haley in the role of Freddy rather than Englund, is...well...the less said, the better. I may need to revisit that movie. I don't remember much about it other than hating it when I saw it at the time of its theatrical release. 

In "Freddy's Dead," which is set "ten years from now" (so 2001, I guess) it turns out there's one child left from Elm Street. Freddy killed all the others.

The film opens with Elm Street's last teenager (Shon Greenblatt) confronting Freddy Krueger in his nightmare. 

Freddy doesn't kill him though. Rather, wants to use the kid to find other children he can kill. 

The boy wakes up just outside Springwood with amnesia thanks to a head injury. 

Since he doesn't remember who he is nor where he came from, he's called John Doe. 

The police find him in an alley and take him to a shelter for wayward youth. 

The psychologist at the shelter, Dr. Maggie Burroughs (Lisa Zane) questions John but can't get any information out of him. 

He tells her about his dreams, which she consults the shelter's sleep specialist, Doc, (Yaphet Kotto) about in order to better understand the meaning behind these dreams. She also has a few nightmares of her own which Doc is helping her through. 

Three other teens - a stoner named Spencer (Breckin Lewis) who has father issues, a runaway named Carlos (Ricky Dean Logan) who, thanks to being physically abused by his mother, is deaf in one ear, and a tough girl named Tracy (Lezlie Deane) who was sexually abused by her late father - reside at the shelter. The three of them are secretly plotting to run away to California.

Meanwhile, among the possessions John Doe has on him is a newspaper clipping from Springwood. In the clipping there's a picture of a woman with a water tower in the background, which Maggie seems to recognize. 

She believes that a trip to Springwood will help with John Doe's amnesia. 

So, the two of them drive over to the town. After nearly wrecking the van when John has a hallucination, Maggie finds Carlos, Tracy, and Spencer hiding in the back. Their goal was to take the van and drive to California.

Maggie tells them to get back to the shelter while she and John Doe explore the town. However, the three teenagers can't seem to find their way out of Springwood.

So, they decide to crash at a random abandoned house in an abandoned neighborhood. When they walk inside, they're oblivious to the fact that the house is actually 1428 Elm Street - Nancy's old house from part one. 

As Carlos finds a bed to get some sleep, and Spencer smokes some weed on the sofa and gets high, Freddy crashes in on their dreams. 

Tracy almost falls victim to Freddy but survives.

Maggie and John Doe search their way through the childless town, looking for answers and running into several adults who have some sort of psychosis. After a while, John begins to think he's the son of Freddy Krueger. 

They find Tracy who's freaking out because she can't find Carlos or Spencer.

While Maggie and Tracy take John back to the shelter, he falls asleep in the van and is killed by Freddy. Just before doing so, Freddy tells John, "Do you think I'm your daddy? Wrong!"

John wakes up, and just before he dies, he tells Maggie that Freddy has a daughter, not a son. 

Dumbfounded, Maggie goes to her mom's place and finds out she was adopted. Uhh oh!

Her birth name turns out to be Katherine Krueger. Katherine became Maggie Burroughs when her biological father was arrested, and later murdered. 

When Tracy and Maggie get back to the shelter, no one else remembers Carlos or Spencer...except Doc. 

After Maggie finds out she's adopted, Freddy appears to her in a dream and tells her he got his revenge after they took her away from him when she was little. So, he took their children away. Now that the children of Elm Street are dead. he has his eyes set on the kids in the shelter.

"Time to start all over again" Freddy says. 

Lisa Zane as Maggie with Robert Englund.

Doc intentionally puts himself into a dream state to confront Freddy. When they meet in his dream, Freddy reveals that some dream demons made him who he now is. In dreams, he lives forever. Doc and Freddy begin fighting it out. In the scuffle, Doc manages to pull a piece of Freddy's sweater out the dream. 

For Doc, this is proof that Freddy can also be brought out of the dream world and into reality the same way.

So, Maggie decides she'll be the one who will enter Freddy's mind and pull him out. Doc has her use special 3-D glasses to enter Freddy's mind.

Now, it's just a matter of pulling Freddy out, and then killing him once and for all.

There are a few things that make "The Final Nightmare" stand out above the other movies. It has a cameo from Rosanne and Tom Arnold, who were married at the time. That was a conversation piece back then. 

Alice Cooper also has a cameo. And Iggy Pop sings the title song.

Freddy has a child, too. Initially, I imagined sequels stemming from that plot point alone.

We also get more back story on Freddy's past, way back to his childhood.

But above all, when the movie was playing in theaters, the last act of the film was in 3-D which was referred to as "Freddy vision." 

Movie goers were given paper 3-D glasses with the red and blue filters, when they purchased their tickets. The inclusion of Freddy vision is laughably written in, but definitely was a major selling point for the film. 

When Maggie goes into Freddy's mind, that's when she puts on her 3-D glasses (the cue for audiences to put on their flimsy glasses) which Doc gives her, and the scenes switch to typical 3-D style. This isn't included in home video/ DVD releases.

While horror franchises often kill off their monsters, the monsters always find a way back in a later film. With Freddy, he somehow has remained dead so far.

In the following stand-alone movie "Wes Craven's New Nightmare," Freddy is actually an ancient supernatural entity that's freed after the Nightmare series ended with part six. It takes the form of Freddy Krueger. 

Freddy does return in "Freddy vs. Jason" after being in Hell since his defeat. But he needed to return if he was to fight Jason Voorhees. The movie doesn't sell itself as an official sequel. 

He also has a brief cameo at the end of the 1993 slasher "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday." It's a clear setup to their clash which wouldn't happen until 10-years later.

And the 2010 remake is exactly that. A remake.

Still, where other slasher maniacs return after dying, Freddy has pretty much remained dead for the most part. There really hasn't been a "Nightmare on Elm Street 7." 

Long spans of time don't seem to stop the production of sequels these days. Even this far into the game, I'm sure Hollywood will find a way. Talks have gone around about Englund returning to the role at least one more time.  

Even as I write this, screenrant.com posted an article regarding producer and Blumhouse Productions CEO Jason Blum thinking he can get Englund to play Krueger again. You can read that article here: Will Robert Englund Play Freddy Krueger Again? Jason Blum Responds (screenrant.com)

Considering what kind of character Freddy Krueger is by part six, compared to the nightmare inducing demon-like man he is in part one, surely movie goers back in 1991 hoped Freddy would stay dead as his ability to induce fear wass pretty much gone at this point. He's become...dare I say...likeable. 

What's unique about writing stories around Freddy Krueger is that, when it comes to dreams, there's a lot more room for creativity. Dreams are surreal and can often be odd. They're a mesh of reality. 

And when a movie puts a slasher killer in the middle of that, some crazy scenes can come about as is the case with a lot of these Elm Street movies. 

As far as part six goes, from beginning to end, it feels like a rush job to just kill off Freddy. 

A lot of the dialogue sounds scripted. A bunch of scenes come across as early takes. especially when reactions and emotions don't seem to fit the scenario. 

Characters seem to figure out Freddy's plans, motives, and powers rather quickly based on...I don't know. John Doe figures out Freddy Krueger rather quickly when he can't even remember his own name. Characters make their claims about what's happening only because the audience is in on what's happening. 

Maggie enters the dream world in "Freddy's Dead."

The back story changes a bit. In the preceding films, Freddy seeks retaliation against the parents who killed him through vigilante justice. Now, it's that plus the fact they took his young daughter away from him. 

"The Final Nightmare" feels like a quick dress rehearsal for a community theater. Emphasis on the word "quick."

This film seems like producers wanted to end it all as quickly as possible. The title might as well be, "Freddy's Dead: Let's Finish This ASAP so We Can Get Home Early." 

Afterall, by this point, the franchise had really run its course. RIP, Freddy. 

116) Frankenstein's Daughter (1958)

"You've always treated me as a monster, Trudy. Now you're going to be one."

Director

Richard E. Cunha

Cast

John Ashley - Johnny Bruder

Sandra Knight - Trudy Morton

Donald Murphy - Oliver "Frank" Frankenstein

Sally Todd - Suzie Lawler

Harold Lloyd, Jr. - Don

Harry Wilson - The Monster

Felix Maurice Locher - Carter Mortan

I've never had the pleasure of watching a movie at a drive-in theater...yet. I'm sure one day, it'll happen.
Despite never having done so, I know a typical drive-in movie aimed at teenagers when I see it. The B-horror flick "Frankenstein's Daughter" (1958) is one such movie.
Realistically speaking, this movie is a giant catastrophe. Certainly teenagers and their dates back in the late 1950s, who went to see "Frankenstein's Daughter," really went for other endeavors. 

I almost chose not to review this movie. I didn't know what to say about it. But, clearly, I figured something out.
Not to be confused with another B-horror movie, "Jesse James meets Frankenstein's Daughter" from 1966, which I reviewed last year, "Frankenstein's Daughter" is as second-rate a teenage horror flick as they come. Teens didn't go to see something like this in the hopes of watching top-notch acting, or to listen to a compelling storyline. They went to make out in the seclusion of a dark theater or in the privacy of their car at the drive-in. And something had to be playing on the screen while they did these things. 
The story is a typical mad scientist plot. It centers on teenage girl, Trudy Morton (Sandra Knight) who lives with her scientist uncle, Carter Mortan (Felix Maurice Locher). He works often in his laboratory inside his large estate. 
Recently, Trudy has been having nightmares where she's a monster going crazy around the streets of her neighborhood. She's convinced the scenario in her dream is actually real. Her boyfriend, Johnny Bruder (John Ashley) thinks she's going crazy...like any "good boyfriend" would think. (Sarcasm intended).
Her friends, Suzie (Sally Todd) and Don (Harold Lloyd, Jr.) share the same opinion as Johnny. 
But Trudy's dreams are real. She doesn't realize at first that her Uncle Carter's (Felix Maurice Locher) lab assistant, Oliver Frank (Donald Murphy). spikes her beverages with a concoction they're developing. This mixture turns her into a ravenous monster who goes out and stalks the neighborhood at night. When it wears off, she's only left with bad dreams. 
Carter's intention is to use the mixture as a cure all diseases, and give people a chance at longevity. Oliver, however, has something more sinister in mind. 
Little does Carter know that Oliver is secretly working on a project to create what he calls "the perfect being." Nor does Carter know that Oliver is actually the grandson of the late Dr. Frankenstein. 
Rather than create such a person in the same manner his grandfather did, Oliver wants to use a female brain for his regenerated being instead. 

Oliver scores a date with Trudy's friend, Suzie. But their rendezvous becomes a big let down. Oliver tries to take advantage of her while they sit in his parked car, but she turns down his advances. 

Since he wants a female brain, he decides to take Suzie's. So, he runs her over with his car, and takes her back to his lab. 

Harry Wilson as the monster in "Frankenstein's Daughter."

In no time, Oliver's perfect being is complete with Suzie's brain. The monster goes on a killing rampage which no one can seem to stop. 
Call me a prude, but I get the feeling this movie subtly caters to the sexual urges teens in the audience were feeling back then. I caught a slight hint of creature-feature fetishtic licentiousness portrayed off-camera. Vulnerable and attractive young women at the mercy of a towering brutish and mindless monster surely caters to the imaginations of young curious kids. It's right there on the movie poster. That's all mixed in with typical teenage partying and dancing common in 1950s. 

No doubt the producers thought they needed to capture their young audience's attention for at least one-third of the movie while they made out during the rest of the time. Hence the party scenes, and poolside sing-a-longs.  
Everything else is a standard horror movie trope. "Frankenstein's Daughter" has an evil mad scientist, a destructive monster who mindlessly kills and preys on vulnerable young girls, a teenage couple who end up the heroes, and trepidatious organ music playing throughout the film. Of course there's bad acting and unintentionally hilarious dialogue.
Movie theaters during this silver age of horror were swarming with creature features. Somehow, these kinds of movies still have a fanbase. They're the audience that still gets some kind of kick from "Frankenstein's Daughter."
It's hilarious watching Sandra Knight's character scream each and every time the monster appears in her presence. At one moment, she just stands there and screams when the monster enters the room, as though it's expected of her because, after all, she's a girl. And then she continues to stand on her mark, not attempting to flee nor hide behind her boyfriend. It's no exaggeration that Knight looks either bored, confused, or both in various scenes throughout the film.    
It's worth mentioning Harold Lloyd, Jr's presence in the film. He's the son of legendary silent film star Harold Lloyd. This movie was his fourth screen appearance. In the same year, he made an appearance on the classic T.V. series "Father Knows Best."
According to a "New York Times" article, Lloyd sadly died at the age of 40 in 1971 after suffering a stroke in 1965 from which he never fully recovered.  
I can't say "Frankenstein's Daughter" let me down. It's exactly the sort of low-budget B-horror I expected going in. To beat it up any further would simply be unjust. The fun was in watching something this bad and unintentionally hilarious.

115) The Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy (1957)

"See the relentless machine battle the gruesome corpse."

Director

Rafael Portillo

Cast

Ramón Gay - Dr. Eduardo Almada

Luis Aceves Castañeda - Dr. Krupp

Crox Alvarado - Pinacate

Ángel di Stefani - Popoco, the Aztec Mummy

Rosa Arenas - Flora

Unbeknownst to me, but knownst to a coworker of mine, KPR (Kansas Public Radio), hosts  a "Virtual Cinema a Go-Go." The event is a live viewing of classic B-films.

While the event is normally held as a live venue, it has been done via streaming online lately. At least that's how it went down on Friday night. 

That was my first "a Go-Go" which I watched with that same coworker. It's definitely an event well suited to my schlocky and dark tastes... when it comes to movies. 

These events are a part of KPR's "Retro Cocktail Hour." Well, I didn't have a cocktail, but I did have a summer ale. 

The first of the double feature was "Frankenstein's Daughter" (1958) which I may or may not post about later. 

It's the second movie they showed that had me laughing the hardest - "The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy."

Hard core fans of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" might recognize that title as it's featured on the second episode of the series which aired back in 1989. 

"The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy" is the third installment of a Mexican horror movie series, all directed by Rafael Portillo. The series includes "The Aztec Mummy" (1957) and "The Curse of the Aztec Mummy" (1957). All three movies were filmed at the same time, and feature Popoco, the Mexican equivalent of the Mummy. 

In this movie, an evil scientist named Dr. Krupp (Luis Aceves Castañeda) has escaped the pit of vipers which Popoco (Ángel di Stefani) threw him into during the second movie. 

Now that he's back to his old dastardly shenanigans again, Krupp continues trying to steal valuable Aztec gold from the tomb of Popoco. You'd think the viper pit would have taught him a lesson. But then, if that were the case, there'd be no part three. 

This time, Krupp has built a robot, equipped with a human head and brains, to kill Popoco - for real this time as the mummy is technically dead to begin with. 

Krupp's old colleague, Dr. Eduardo Almada (Ramón Gay), who originally found Popoco, tries to put the kibosh on Krupp's plans with the help of his wife, Flora (Rosa Arenas), and a colleague named Picacate (Crox Alvarado).

The mummy awakens when Krupp manages to get into Popoco's tomb to steal the gold. He orders his robot to destroy Popoco, and the two battle to the death. 

The plot is as mainstream for this era of horror as it gets. 

The dialogue sounds painfully scripted as if the actors are putting on a community play at the last minute. Regardless of that and the general schlock sci-fi horror with all its sci-fi tropes, the story is the least of this movie's issues. Having never seen any of the preceding movies before this third installment, all the exposition in the approximately first 30 minutes allowed me to catch up, or so I assume. 

There's so much exposition, the title might as well be "The Recap of the Aztec Mummy, and a Robot." 

To be extremely generous, that's really what makes this movie terrible. I don't expect much from a B-sci-fi horror flick. It's easy to dunk of the poor dialogue, terrible acting, and generic plot. I knew it was a bad movie going in. But even such movies can get away with all that and still be a fun time, especially for fans of such low-budget films.

The climax of the film, namely the fight between the robot and the mummy, culminates to a round of gentle pushing that feels like a match between two geriatrics in oversized costumes. 

"The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy" fails worse than other low-budget films of this era of horror cinema. And it's unintentionally laughable right down to the scripted lines, which is great because I needed something to do while waiting the 30-plus minutes for a story to actually begin. 

114) Chucky: The Series (2021- ) The First Season

"Why is your doll coming after me?" 

Cast

Zackary Arthur - Jake Wheeler

Brad Dourif - Voice of Chucky

Björgvin Arnarson - Devon Evans

Devon Sawa - Lucas and Logan Wheeler

Teo Briones - Junior Wheeler

Alyvia Alyn Lind - Lexy Cross

Jennifer Tilly - Tiffany Valentine

The first season of the current series "Chucky" is all that's available so far. Though it began airing in October, 2021, I waited until it now to watch it. While it's not a completely terrible series, I anticipate it having a short life. The show is exactly what I expected it to be. 

Before setting my eyes on this horror series, based on the "Child's Play" franchise created by Don Mancini, which began with the 1988 movie of the same name, I couldn't imagine how writers could incorporate the infamous "Chucky" into a regular series. While I enjoyed some of the "Child's Play" here and there including the 2019 remake of the first film, what really drew me to this series is the curiosity of what kind of story writers could come up with to make a TV show centering on Chucky. 

It's not the first horror franchise to receive a television platform. Freddy Krueger from the "Nightmare on Elm Street" films hosted a horror anthology called "Freddy's Nightmares" which aired from 1988 to 1990. 

There was also a fantasy horror program called "Friday the 13th, The Series," based on the film series of the same name. This ran from 1987 to 1990. Despite bearing the Friday the 13th title, the series didn't have anything to do with hockey mask-wearing and machete swinging Jason Vorhees. 

Starting in 2016, there was even a horror series on the FOX network called "The Exorcist" which continues the story told in the films. I watched the first season only to be sorely disappointed in the entire premise of the show. Thankfully, it was cancelled after two seasons. So, the less said about that show, the better.

"Chucky" follows the 2017 movie "The Cult of Chucky," the seventh film in the "Child's Play" series, as it continues the story. 

A teenager named Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur) lives with his verbally abusive dad, Lucas (Devon Sawa) in Hackensack, N.J. Both of them are still in grief over the lost of their wife and mother who died prior to the story.

To cope with his grief, as well as living with his father who has issues with his son being gay, Jake has taken up artwork whereby he creates images out of doll parts. 

Jake finds a pristine Good Guy doll at a yard sale, and buys it for a great price compared to what they go for on eBay. 

Little does he know that this Good Guy doll is one possessed by the soul of serial killer, Charles Lee Ray - Chucky, for short - (aka the "Lakeshore Strangler") voiced again by Brad Dourif. 

Of course, it doesn't take terribly long before Chucky makes himself known to Jake.

It's no surprise that murders begin taking place around Hackensack, one by one, starting with Jake's dad.

Jake is forced to live with his uncle Logan (also played by Devon Sawa), his wife Bree (Lexa Doig) and their son, Junior (Teo Briones).

The ever increasing death count around Hackensack garners the attention of people who have a history with Chucky.

The series keeps the same tone as the "Child's Play" films, though feels like a low-rate slasher flick drawn out in eight episodes. It borders on campy, with characters who lean far into the realm of exaggerated. It doesn't hold back with its slash horror and insanity. 

Chucky looks like his ordinary doll self when he's stationary. However, when the soul of Charles Lee Ray comes forth, the doll's appearance changes to something more sinister and human. That's especially true with his eyes. We even have a close up of the doll's eyes dilating when Ray's soul starts manifesting himself. 

Zachary Arthur as Jake Wheeler in
season one of "Chucky."

We also get backstory into Charles Lee Ray, which is what I suspected would happen before I watched season one. His story goes back to his childhood, through his teenage years, and into his young adulthood. 

We also see how far back his relationship with "Tiffany Valentine" goes, who became part of the Chucky canon starting with the 1998 "Bride of Chucky," reoccurring through "Seed of Chucky" (2004) "Curse of Chucky" (2013) and "Cult of Chucky" (2017).  

His youth is depicted as a seemingly normal childhood, but he has a disturbing fascination with pain that's both self-inflicted as well as inflicted on others. 

This series is pure horror candy. It's service for fans the franchise. 

Similar to how the series "Cobra Kai" brings back as many characters of the "Karate Kid" movies as it can so fans can see what those characters have been up to for all these years, "Chucky" does the same. Although, for some of the characters from the more recent films, it hasn't really been that long. 

Jennifer Tilly returns as "Tiffany Valentine" who plays an integral role in the series. 

Alex Vincent returns as "Andy Barclay" from the original "Child's Play" film from 1988, as well as "Child's Play 2" (1990) and then later in "Curse of Chucky" and "Cult of Chucky." 

I was surprised to see Christine Elise as Andy's step-sister  "Kyle" from "Child's Play 2" return. 

Fiona Dourif, the daughter of Brad Dourif who has voiced Chucky since the beginning, returns as "Nica Pierce" from "Curse of Chucky."

And franchise creator Don Mancini directs the first episode titled "Death by Misadventure." 

The first two or three episodes feel drawn out and slow as they work to build up the trepidation and fear. Once it boils over, it makes for a lot of unforgettable imagery and horror. It's fun the same way a guilty pleasure is fun. The episodes managed to make me want to continue on to the next episode.

Like the other "Child's Play" movies, there is a taste of mindlessness amidst Chucky's bad-assery. The series keeps that in amongst all the teenage angst common in slasher flicks. 

Many of the horror movie tropes are there. The asshole characters are surely the ones who'll get picked off by Chucky. Reactions to a living murderous doll is almost laughable. Police investigators are clueless and rather useless. It's all typical horror movie stuff. And that's all there is to take away.

The series definitely tries to continue the entire story forward while paying homage to the past. Personally, I think fans of the movies, or those simply familiar with the franchise, will get the most out of the show, especially the back story that's presented. 

So far, with season one, the series is simply just a guilty pleasure. It's Chucky and friends, and nothing much more than that. It's mediocre at best. 

To start the series, they needed a storyline, and came up with what they came up. The characters aren't necessarily unique. Most of them are as stereotypical as it comes. Still, what does one expect from a slasher flick turned TV show?

One teenager is vindictive and shallow beyond believability. No one seems to like the main character, Jake, much for no serious reason. His cousin doesn't like him. The only person who does care is the boy whom he has a crush on. Still, to the series' credit, it doesn't beat the audience over the head with all its callbacks and nostalgia. It keeps the focus on the storyline. 

"Chucky" is a middle-of-the-road series that horror fans, especially fans of the "Child's Play" films, will surely find fun and enjoyable. Otherwise, nothing stands out about this other than it's a TV series with the murderous Chucky the doll.

I'll likely watch the following second season. Whether I comment on that or not remains to be seen.

113) Oasis of the Zombies (1982)

"They're everywhere!" 

Director

A.M. Frank

Cast

Manuel Gélin - Robert Blabert

France Jordan - Erika

Jeff Montgomery - Ben

Eric Saint-Just - Ronald

Caroline Audret - Sylvie 

Henry Lambert - Col. Kurt Meitzell

Myriam Landson - Kurt's wife

The 1982 flick "Oasis of the Zombies" (the title I know it by) apparently goes by several other titles. 

Directed by Spanish filmmaker, Jesús Franco, credited as A.M. Frank in this film, the movie's original title is "L'Abîme des Morts-Vivants" ("The Abyss of the Living Dead").

It's also known as "The Grave of the Living Dead" and "The Treasure of the Living Dead."

It was released in the U.S. under the title "Bloodsucking Nazi Zombies" which sounds more enticing to me.

There's also supposedly two versions of "Oasis of the Zombies." 

According to the book "The Gorehound's Guide to Splatter Films of the 1980s" by Scott Aaron Stine, Franco filmed a Spanish version of the same movie under the title "La Tumba de los Muertos Vivientes" ("The Tomb of the Living Dead") while filming a French version. The difference between the two, other than the language, is that some of the roles are filled by different actors.

The version I watched is the French version dubbed in English. I have a copy of this movie in a collection of 50 horror movies, distributed by Mill Creek, called "Chilling Classics." The titles in this collection aren't too bad for not-so-popular horror movies. The only problem is the picture quality of the movies. While watching "Oasis of the Zombies" too often I couldn't tell what was going on as the image is too faded in certain parts. The version that can be found on YouTube is better quality than what I have on DVD.

Franco, by the way, directed several other low-budget horror movies including "Count Dracula" (1970) starring Christopher Lee, and "Jack the Ripper" (1976) starring Klaus Kinski.  

And that's what "Oasis of the Zombies" is - a low-budget horror movie. The plot is a simple one. 

The walking dead remains of German Nazi soldiers roam the desert area where $6 million worth of gold they were exporting during World War II is located. 

During the war, a platoon of Nazi soldiers were attacked and killed inside a desert oasis located somewhere in Africa. 

A British commander is rescued in this attack by a Sheik and his young daughter, Aisha. 

The commander falls in love with Aisha and the two have a child together. 

Years later, the British commander reveals to a mercenary named Kurt that those same Nazis were transporting gold. 

Kurt ends up killing him, and sets up an expedition to find this Nazi fortune. 

Meanwhile, a college student named Robert Blabert (Manuel Gélin) is studying his father's notes which indicates were this treasure is hidden. 

Blabert and his college buddies travel to Africa to find it all, only to be met with pain-in-the-ass Nazi zombies. They just ruin everything as Nazi zombies are apt to do!

I don't know where to begin with this film. So, I'll start with the opening scene. 

Two attractive, vulnerable (of course) young woman are roaming the oasis when they're attacked by the zombies. A pair of arms lunges out of the sand and grabs one girl by the ankles. She doesn't attempt to free herself and get away. This girl just stands there and screams for the camera. 

Another zombie chases the second girl down in a terrible POV shot. The camera runs after her until she falls in the sand, screaming. That continuity is quickly overlooked as the zombies slowly stride towards their victims during the rest of the film.

Regardless, it all plays out terribly. The beginning merely lets the audience know right away how bad the acting and dialogue are going to be for the rest of the picture. 

"Oasis of the Zombies" takes its time unfolding the story. When the zombies show up, the audience is treated to several minutes of close-ups on their faces to show off their horrific appearances in all their inexpensive glory. This happens in the middle of the film, and in the last act. It's almost laughable. These scenes try to be scary and grotesque. And they do a good job showing just how low of a budget the movie had. To be fair, the zombie faces are grotesque enough to burn themselves into the collective subconscious of the audience. But they're probably not as horrific as the producers were likely hoping for.

George Romero's memorable zombie horror movie "Dawn of the Dead" came out in 1978. Upon its release, it received very positive reviews, and is still highly praised as a great horror film.

The poster for "Oasis of the Zombies" makes the presumptuous claim that if "Dawn of the Dead" scared you, then "Oasis of the Zombies" will "eat you alive." 

Yeah...no. I don't find that to be the case. 

There's too many transitioning shots that are way too long, showing nothing but lengthy desert shots. It really slows the movie down. 

The movie deserves credit for having the originality to put zombie Nazis in the desert.

Some of the shot compositions pull off some haunting imagery. Namely, the silhouettes of the living dead in the sandy desert spread out like the mindless ghouls that they are, slowly approaching the camera. 

Despite the praiseworthy effort to create such an original setting, the slow pace, irritating and constant haunted house style organ music soundtrack, and bad acting works against my interest. I couldn't get into "Oasis of the Zombies" nor care much at all about the characters. 

Fans of the zombie genre might enjoy this movie like an antiquated museum exhibit. As for me, its just cheap ghouls, horror, and sleaze.

112) Creepshow 2 (1987) - The More Horror There Is...

"Welcome, kiddies, to another edition of Creepshow."

Director

Michael Gornick

Cast

Prologue

Domenick John - Billy

Tom Savini - The Creep

Old Chief Wood'nhead

George Kennedy - Ray Spruce

Dorothy Lamour - Martha Spruce

Frank Salsedo - Benjamin Whitemoon

Holt McCallany - Sam Whitemoon

The Raft

Paul Satterfield - Deke
Jeremy Green - Laverne
Daniel Beer - Randy
Page Hannah - Rachel

The Hitchhiker

Lois Chiles - Annie Lansing

Tom Wright - The Hitchhiker

I'm bypassing the anthology horror movie "Creepshow" from 1982 and going straight for its sequel.

The first movie is directed by horror icon George Romero, with a screenplay written by the other horror icon, Stephen King. 

King even stars in part one, in the segment called "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" - one of my favorite stories. 

The movie has a cast of well-known actors such as Leslie Neilson, Ted Danson, Ed Harris, Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, E. G. Marshall, and Tom Savini... to drop a few names. Even King's son, Joe King, has a role in "Creepshow."
The whole movie is presented in a comic book style very similar to EC anthology horror comics, "Tales from the Crypt", "The Vault of Horror", and "The Haunt of Fear." I have a stack of reprints sitting in the closet. Original copies cost some serious coin these days.
It's definitely a unique movie that's memorable either for the actual stories, the imagery, the style, the cast, or all of the above. Though "Creepshow" is a favorite guilty pleasure of mine, I don't have any plans to write anything up about it.
Part two continues the style of part one, though in its own unique way, with new stories that lean towards the campy but are just as unforgettable. Despite being weaker than the first and containing three stories instead of five like part one, I still find something to enjoy about it.

This time, we're treated to the "Creep" (Tom Savini, and voiced by Joe Silver) who acts as the storyteller similar to the Crypt Keeper, the Vault Keeper, and the Old Witch who tell the stories in the comics I just mentioned.

Two other stories were originally intended to be in this movie.
One is "Pinfall" and the other is "Cat from Hell."
Readers of my blog (both of them - mom and my buddy Ryan) may remember my mention of "Cat from Hell," written by Stephen King, in my review of the anthology movie "Tales from the Darkside." The story is told in that later anthology movie.

Old Chief Wood'nhead

"This hair's gonna get me paid 'n laid!"

"Old Chief Wood'nheadt" is the first segment to start things off. 

The story takes place in a dusty old general store that's barely hanging on within the nearly dead town aptly named Dead River, Ariz. 

Outside the general store stands a wooden tobacco store Indian which the store owner, Ray Spruce (George Kennedy) lovingly takes care of by reapplying its war paint as soon as it begins to fade.  

The store is long owned by Ray and his wife, Martha (Dorothy Lamour) - an old couple who are split between keeping the store or closing it down permanently.

Martha clearly sees the town's promising outlook is long behind it. Ray thinks there's still enough life left in Dead River to keep going a while longer. His store has been a welcoming part of the community for so many years. As Martha points out, he's given out more than he's put in. And once he has nothing left to give, everyone will just look for someone else to take from. 

He thinks the memories are too wonderful and numerous to just close the store for good. Thanks to the general store, they built their life together, and even managed to send their girls to college.

Among the "good things" the Spruces have done for the people of Dead River, they have financially helped a local Indian tribe.

An elder of the Indian tribe, Benjamin Whitemoon (Frank Salsedo) visits Bruce and Martha to give them a collection of the tribe's most valuable, sacred and cherished turquoise jewelry as payment for the debt the tribe incurred after all the financial helped they received. 

Ben tells them to keep the jewelry until they can pay their debt in full. If they can't pay back in full within a certain time, the jewelry is theirs.

At first Ray refuses to accept the offer, but Benjamin insists as refusing would be an insult to the tribe.

"It's a bad thing to borrow," Ben says. "It's a worse thing to beg."

So, Ray accepts it and promises to guard it with his life. 

And that's exactly what he does when Ben's nephew, Sam Whitemoon (Holt McCallany) and his gang shows up armed with a shot gun, moments after Ben leaves. 

Sam robs the couple, while his little gang - Andy "Rich Boy" Cavanaugh (Don Harvey) and Vince "Fatso" Gribbens (David Holbrook) - trash the store. 

After threatening to blow holes in the couple multiple times, and taking all the cash they have on them, Sam demands the jewelry Ben left with the couple. 

Ray refuses to just hand it over, and the two start arguing. In anger, Sam fatally shoots Martha. Shocked, Ray approaches his now dead wife. Sam points his gun at him and pulls the trigger. After Ray collapses, Sam snatches the tribe's jewelry and tells his buddies they're leaving for Hollywood that night. 

After they leave, the wooden Indian Chief (Dan Kamin), with fresh war paint on, comes to life to avenge the death of the couple. He pays each of the thugs a visit, the last being Sam. Needless to say, none of them make it to Hollywood. 

Incidentally, this is Lamour's last film before she passed away in 1996. Having been a well-known actress of the golden age of Hollywood, Lamour is especially known for starring in the "Road" movies with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. 

Anyways, this is the best segment in the story thanks to its cast, acting, and story. 

McCallany plays his character as truly intimidating. He puts in a lot in this one role. 

McCallany's acting and presence on screen is truly daunting. He plays it so well that the audience wants to hate this egotistical, narcissistic, callous thug, and see him get what's coming to him. 

The segment left me with an admiration for McCallany as an actor thanks to this one particular role. He was a star in "All My Children" when he appeared in "Creepshow 2." According to IMDB this is his first film role. I didn't even realize until recently that he later stars in the film "Fight Club." 

The dialogue is a little campy but the story has originality to it. And it starts the movie off with something that's very unsettling. Having a "monster" as the good guy the audience is rooting for is a change of things. Still, the premise is still chilling none the less. This is a story I wish I thought of myself. It's a tale of vengeance towards the wrong-doer, similar to another segment in this movie.

The Raft

"It came when we came...like it could smell us." 

"The Raft" is based on a

short story by Stephen King, found in his story collection "Skeleton Crew." The story centers on two sets of college aged lovers- Deke (Paul Satterfield) and Rachel (Page Hannah), Randy (Daniel Beer) and Laverne (Jeremy Green) - as they take a trip to a secluded lake called Cascade Beach. It's the off season and they're there to have a good time, among other things. 

They plan to swim out to an old raft that sits in the middle of the lake and "hang out." 

When they reach the raft, it doesn't take long before Randy notices what looks like a huge oil slick following them in the water. 

He quickly becomes nervous about the oil slick as he sees it devour a duck on the water.

The others, however, think he's acting crazy. 

They quickly change their mind when the black oil slick grabs hold of Rachel, pulls her into the water, and digests her. 

Terrified, Deke thinks he can outswim it back to shore. Just before he attempts to do so, the blob grabs his foot through the wood planks of the raft and pulls him through the cracks. 

Randy and Laverne are now by themselves out in the lake with this thing underneath the raft trying to grab them through the wood. 

Soon, night falls and they take turns keeping watch as the other sleeps while trying to be careful not to step on any spaces where the blob can grab them, 

As morning comes, Laverne becomes the next victim of this blob, leaving Randy with no other choice than to try to swim back to shore. He makes it, but the blob capable of more than he thought.

The acting is bad but the segment's saving grace is the unsettling story that leaves the viewer feeling apprehensive and disturbed.

The look of the monster - greyish black, greasy, glossy, and viscous - is gross. It looks like something that would live just as well in some dank city alleyway.

The way the slime shoots up out of the water like tentacles eager for its prey is impressive. And kudos to the actors who immersed themselves in it.

"The Raft" is a classic creature feature story, but with a somewhat different setting. Rather than having otherwise innocent teens trapped in a cabin in the woods, or at a camp site, they're stuck on a raft surrounded by water within reach of the shore. Escape isn't necessarily impossible but don't count on it.

Tom Wright in "Creepshow 2."

The Hitchhiker 

"That'll cost ya, Mrs. Lansing." 

An adulterous businesswoman named Annie Lansing (Lois Chiles) heads back home late after sleeping with the guy she's having an affair with.

When she gets in her car and takes off, Annie realizes she only has 15 minutes to get back before her working husband returns home. 

So, she races back hoping to beat her husband. 

Annie lights up a cigarette after an otherwise fantastic night. But she drops her cigarette in her lap which causes her to lose control of the car.

In the chaos, she hits a hitchhiker (Tom Wright) holding a sign that reads "Dover."

At first she's shocked that she just hit someone. But as no one else is around, Annie takes off and doesn't look back. 

A truck driver (Stephen King) and some other drivers find the dead hitchhiker lying in the secluded street and report it to the police.

Meanwhile, as a shaken Annie tries to get home and not think about what just happened, she convinces herself that as no one was around to witness what she did, she's therefor in the clear. The only witness was the hitchhiker, and he's dead. 

She stops and starts convincing herself to go to the police. In that moment, sees the hitchhiker in her rearview mirror lumbering towards the car. 

Annie glances back, but he's gone. When she turns back around, he's right next to the driver's side window. 

"Thanks for the ride, lady," he says, his face covered in blood. 

He continues to appear, attempting to get in her car. And each time, Annie tries to kill him again. Every time Annie thinks she's killed him, or ditched him for good, he shows up again trying to get ride. 

Though this story seems the most cliche out of all the stories, it has the most horror comic book story style to it - the best horror story for a a buck or two. 

The makeup on Wright is rather gory. The blood covering his appearance increases throughout the story as Annie keeps trying to kill him again and again. It's a welcoming touch. 

Like "Old Chief Wood'nhead", it's a retaliatory kind of horror premise. Sinners only bring retribution upon themselves when it comes to horror movies. However, there is a psychological twist to the story that leaves the audience asking if she really saw the dead hitchhiker or not. Is her conscious simply running at full throttle? 

It's a shame "Creepshow 2" ends on this particular story. 

If only the movie included at least one more story. One of the originally planned tales that were ultimately left out would have been better to end on. Then perhaps "Creepshow 2" might have been appreciated a little more.  

Tom Savini as "The Creep" in "Creepshow 2."

The Interludes 

The animated transitional scenes are just as entertaining as the stories...for me, anyways. 

They give the movie its horror comic book feel, even more so than "Creepshow." The interluding story that transitions all the rest follows young Billy who initially waits eagerly for the delivery truck to drop off the first editions of the "Creepshow" comic hot off the presses. 

The delivery guy is none other than the Creep. 

After Billy gets the first copy, the Creep vanishes back to his lair, where he welcomes us "kiddies" and introduces us to the stories in this next "edition" of Creepshow.

"It's amazing that you bores and ghouls keep coming back for more," he says. "You must be gluttons for punishment, eh? Well I guess you bloodsuckers enjoy being repulsed? You're loyal to the gore." 

He's similar to the Crypt Keeper, or the Old Hag who take readers from one story to another in the pages of "Tales from the Crypt" and "Vault of Horror".

After the first tale, we find Billy picking up a package at the post office. It contains some Venus fly traps he ordered from his copy of "Creepshow." 

He pays the $9 c.o.d. charge, and heads out. The Creep opens a new service window at the Post Office to tell us the next anecdote.

On his way back home, Billy bumps into a gang of bullies. Rhino, their leader, snatches Billy's package and rips it open. He takes one of the plant bulbs and stomps on it.

Billy retaliates with a swift kick to the groin. 

He books it on his bike with the bullies in hot pursuit. 

In the meantime, the Creep tells us one last tale.

At the end, the bullies corner Billy in a vacant lot, ready to pound him. 

But what they don't notice is a group of towering, carnivorous Venus fly traps looming behind them.

The kids scream in absolute terror which is uncomfortable to hear. 

Billy, meanwhile, stands motionless with a sinister smirk on his face as he watches his bullies meet their end by becoming a meal for the plants. It's a bit uncomfortable to watch. The animators went as far as they could with this small animated segment.

The stories overall are what I like in this sequel. It's too bad there's less of them than part one. 

Like its predecessor, "Creepshow 2" has a notable cast of stars. 

It's worth noting that as actor Hal Holbrook stars in the segment called "The Crate" in the first "Creepshow," his son plays "Fatso" in "Old Chief Wood'nhead."

I first saw this movie at a rather young age - probably too young - thanks to my brothers renting it once way back in the day. Not only did my young self find the first and second story terrifying, but seeing an old innocent couple fall victim to a criminal with a shot gun surely scarred me for life. But having watched it multiple times since those days, I find the story just as much of a fun guilty pleasure than part one. It's the same sort of momentary thrill as reading a cheap horror comic. They're novel and classic, and you get your few bucks worth of momentary uneasiness and cringy horror which is why anyone would read such comics in the first place. 

It does nothing else for you other than give your eyes and the darkest part of your imagination something to play around with. Otherwise, that's all it's good for. Again, the best scares a few dollars can buy. Like such comics, the movie leaves its audience with the creeps as they imagine themselves in those same predicaments.

"Creepshow 2" definitely accomplishes the same thing, which is what it sets out to do with the same cheesy, pun-filled dialogue found in cheap horror comics. 

Holt McCallany as Sam Whitemoon.

After the segment "Old Chief Wood'nhead" the Creep tells the audience, "Well, kiddies, that was quite a price for young Sam Whitemoon to pay... toupée, eh?"

The overall stories are prone to sticking power. That is, they easily stay in the memory of audiences. Vengeful wooden Indians, and man-eating oil slicks somehow have that power. 

I came across "Creepshow 3" but that's another post for another time.

Anyways, as the Creep says, 'til next issue, try to stay scared.