Invaders From Mars (1986) #389

Incredibly campy and comically overacted, the 1986 remake of"Invaders from Mars" is a both a let down and yet an entertaining gem of classic sci-fi fare. The fact that the screenplay was written by Dan O'Bannon ("Alien"), was directed by Tobe Hooper ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Poltergeist"), and starred horror veterans Karen Black and James Karen should have been more than enough to ensure a thoroughly frightful and creepy movie, even if it was rated PG. Perhaps it was because the movie DID star horror veterans Karen Black and James Karen is why the movie felt over the top and campy? Or maybe it was because most of the aliens looked more comical than frightening? Hunter Carson (Karen Black's real son) delivers a fairly strong performance that is comparable to the 1950's source material that the movie is based on. Further more, the scenes between Carson and Louise Fletcher (who plays the alien controlled school teacher) are the most genuinely intense scenes in the film. Overall, "Invaders From Mars" is a fun film that brings back memories of watching it during summer afternoons as a child and is still entertaining enough for kids today.

Young David Gardner believes that a UFO landed behind a hill near his house during a meteor shower. He soon believes that his dad, and soon his mom, have become pawns of the alien's invasion of his small town. One by one, the population of the town is assimilated and only David and Linda, the school nurse, are left to warn the military about what is going on. Will the military save the town and David's parents or are they already too late?

House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

It felt like we had to wait forever for Rob Zombie’s directing debut movie “House of 1000 Corpses”. No one wanted to distribute it because of its extreme content and after seeing clips of it at one of his concerts, the crowd just wanted more and didn’t care how it came out. And when it finally did hit the theaters and his fans flocked to see it, they soon left confused saying “that was it?” The movie displayed Zombie’s unique taste for over-the-top and demented characters, jarring and twisted motives, and unfortunately was completely unaware that he was filming a movie and not a three minute music video. It also lacked any real scary moments or tension beyond the scenes where the character Otis is yelling and tormenting his victims.

“House of 1000 Corpses” is essentially a retelling of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” with a bit of “The Hills Have Eyes” thrown in for flavor. Two young couples on a road trip exploring places with weird attractions get talked into seeking out the location where a murder named Dr. Satan was hung for his crime against humanity. Along the way they pick up a hitchhiker named Baby, who happens to belong to a clan of demented murders. After the car gets a flat, the group is towed back to Baby’s house where they couples meet the Firefly clan. As they try to leave, they’re attacked by the family and then tortured and killed in various ways.

Trilogy of Terror (1975)

The “Trilogy of Terror” is the only anthology that doesn’t have a connecting story and it’s the first Made-for-TV movie that I’ve reviewed so far. This movie was developed as a TV series pilot that was later passed over. It stars Karen Black in four different roles and was written by Richard Matheson. The first two stories were mediocre at best with disappointing endings that failed to shock. The third story, on the other hand, is highly regarded as one of the scariest moments ever seen in a Made-for-TV movie and it’s the only reason why I’m reviewing this film instead of John Carpenter’s “Body Bag”….(yawn).

The first story is about a college student that asks his teacher out on a date, drugs her and takes pictures of her, and then blackmails her into doing whatever he wants. But after a few weeks, the teacher tells the student that she has become tired of him and the entire experience was of her design. He’s shocked and dies after drinking a poisoned beverage. She burns down his apartment and makes it all look like an accident.

The second story is about two sisters who are the polar opposite of each other. One day the prudish one decides to kill the sexy one, but the only problem is that they happen to be the same person who is suffering from a split personality syndrome.

The third and by far greatest story of the trilogy is about a young woman who buys her boyfriend a Zuni fetish doll that has a warning to never remove the golden chain that it wears because it keeps the killer spirit that’s trapped within under control. Of course the chain falls off and the Zuni doll comes to life, attacking the woman over and over again. She tries to kill it in various ways but nothing works. Finally, she manages to trap it inside her oven where it burns to death…only to become a cloud of black smoke that she inhales when she opens the oven. The woman becomes possessed with the killer spirit and waits for the next victim to come along.