Here's another movie I loved watching on TV as a kid in the 60's and 70's, though we didn't have MST3K (or cable).
The Amazing Colossal Man stars Glenn Langan as Lt. Col. Glenn Manning, who is inadvertently exposed to a plutonium bomb blast at Camp Desert Rock. Though burned over 90% of his body, he survives, and begins to grow in size. As he grows, his heart and circulatory system fail to keep pace with his growth, and he is gradually losing his mind as a result of reduced blood supply to his brain. He reaches 50 feet tall before his growth is stopped. By this time he has become insane, and escapes to wreak havoc upon Las Vegas.
Sharp Teeth, by Toby Barlow, is a story of werewolves told in verse that is hard to put down once you've started reading.
From Publishers Weekly (starred review):
"Barlow's gut-wrenching, sexy debut, a horror thriller in verse, follows three packs of feral dogs in East L.A. These creatures are in fact werewolves, men and women who can change into canine form at will (Dog or wolf? More like one than the other/ but neither exactly). Lark, the top dog in one of the packs who's a lawyer in human form, has a master plan that may involve taking over the city from the regular humans. Anthony Silvo, a dogcatcher and normally a loner, finds himself falling in love with a beautiful and mysterious woman (Standing on four legs in her fur,/ she is her own brand of beast). A strange small man and his giant partner play tournament bridge and are deep into the drug trade. A detective, Peabody, investigates several puzzling dog-related murders. The irregular verse form with its narrative economies proves an excellent vehicle to support all these disparate threads and then tie them together in the bittersweet conclusion."
Public Service Announcement: Is Your Dog a Werewolf?
December 28 1888 – F.W. Murnau (director of Nosferatu) born (d. 1931)
December 29 1993 – Ghost in the Machine released theatrically
December 30 1942 – Fred Ward (actor in Tremors and Tremors 2: Aftershocks) born 1980 – Eliza Dushku (actress in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Soul Survivors, Wrong Turn, and Open Graves) born
December 31 1931 – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) released theatrically 1941 – Sean S. Cunningham (creator of the Friday the 13th series of films) born 1957 – The Strange World of Planet X released theatrically 1999 – Zombie Revenge released on Sega Dreamcast and arcade
January 1 1940 – Frank Langella (actor in Dracula (1979) and The Ninth Gate born
January 2 2004 – Tremors 4: The Legend Begins released on DVD
Morgan and his friends are on a hunting trip on a remote Canadian island when they are attacked by a swarm of giant wasps. Looking for help, Morgan stumbles across a barn inhabited by an enormous killer chicken. After doing some exploring, they discover the entire island is crawling with animals that have somehow grown to giant size. The most dangerous of all of these, however, are the rats, who are mobilizing to do battle with the human intruders.
The Martians kidnap Santa because there is nobody on Mars to give their children presents.
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians shows up frequently on lists of all-time bad movies, which naturally makes it prime fodder for MST3K. That version is included here as well. Happy Holidays!
A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas (commonly known as A Christmas Carol) is what Charles Dickens described as his "little Christmas Book" and was first published on December 19, 1843 with illustrations by John Leech.
The first of the author's five "Christmas books", the story was instantly successful, selling over six thousand copies in one week. Although originally written under financial duress to help Dickens to pay off a debt, the tale has become one of the most popular and enduring Christmas stories of all time.
You can read the entire text online, as presented by Project Gutenberg, by clicking here.
December 21 1921 – Maila Nurmi (aka Vampira) born 1966 – Kiefer Sutherland (actor in The Lost Boys and Flatliners) born
December 22 1917 – Freddie Francis (director and cinematographer of many horror films) born 1932 – The Mummy released theatrically 1933 – The Son of Kong released theatrically 1944 – The Mummy's Curse released theatrically 1989 – Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan
December 23 1971 – Corey Haim (actor in Silver Bullet and The Lost Boys) born
December 24 1966 – Diedrich Bader (actor in Dead & Breakfast) born
December 25 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 1946 – The Beast with Five Fingers released theatrically 1961 – The Innocents released theatrically in France 1997 – An American Werewolf in Paris released theatrically 1998 – The Faculty released theatrically 1999 – Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness released on the Nintendo 64 in Japan 2005 – Wolf Creek released theatrically
December 26 1973 – The Exorcist released theatrically
December 27 1940 – The Invisible Woman released theatrically
Tonight's feature is Gremlins, directed by Joe Dante. The cast includes Hoyt Axton, Corey Feldman, Harry Carey, Jr., and Phoebe Cates.
A boy inadvertantly breaks 3 important rules concerning his new Christmas pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.
Christmas in the Twilight Zone! Art Carney (Ed Norton of "The Honeymooners") is a forlorn department store Santa who takes to drinking - only to find himself experiencing the nicest Christmas ever!
This is an excellent book by Christopher Moore to read during the holiday season. A Christmas story with zombies!
'Twas the night (okay, more like the week) before Christmas, and all through the tiny community of Pine Cove, California, people are busy buying, wrapping, packing, and generally getting into the holiday spirit.
But not everybody is feeling the joy. Little Joshua Barker is in desperate need of a holiday miracle. No, he's not on his deathbed; no, his dog hasn't run away from home. But Josh is sure that he saw Santa take a shovel to the head, and now the seven-year-old has only one prayer: Please, Santa, come back from the dead.
But hold on! There's an angel waiting in the wings. (Wings, get it?) It's none other than the Archangel Raziel come to Earth seeking a small child with a wish that needs granting. Unfortunately, our angel's not sporting the brightest halo in the bunch, and before you can say "Kris Kringle," he's botched his sacred mission and sent the residents of Pine Cove headlong into Christmas chaos, culminating in the most hilarious and horrifying holiday party the town has ever seen.
Move over, Charles Dickens -- it's Christopher Moore time.
December 14 1955 – Tarantula released theatrically 1965 – Ted Raimi (actor in numerous horror films) born 2002 – Cabin Fever released theatrically 2005 – King Kong (2005) released theatrically
December 15 1974 – Young Frankenstein released theatrically 1981 – Ghost Story released theatrically
December 16 1970 – Night Gallery premieres on television 1983 – The Keep released theatrically
December 17 1976 – King Kong (1976) released theatrically
December 18
December 19 1949 – Nancy Kyes (usually credited as Nancy Loomis, actress in Halloween and The Fog) born 1956 – The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956) released theatrically 1986 – Little Shop of Horrors (1986) released theatrically
Tonight's feature is Crawlspace, written and directed by David Schmoeller and starring Klaus Kinski.
A man who runs an apartment house for women is the demented son of a Nazi surgeon, and has the house equipped with secret passageways, hidden rooms, and torture and murder devices.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas, written by Dr. Seuss and animated by Chuck Jones, is appropriate for this blog for two reasons:
First of all - The narrator and voice of the Grinch is Boris Karloff.
Second of all - The Grinch! A vile, foul monster! Remember?
You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch / You have termites in your smile / You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile / Mr. Grinch / Given the choice between the two of you, I'd take the... seasick crocodile. You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch / You're a nasty, wasty skunk / Your mind is filled with unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk / Mr. Grinch / The words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote: Stink, stank, stunk!
You're a monster, Mr. Grinch / Your heart's an empty hole / Your brain is full of spiders, you have garlic in your soul / Mr. Grinch / I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole.
Your soul is an apalling dung-heap, overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable, mangled up in tangled up knots.
The famous Grinch song was sung by Thurl Ravenscroft, perhaps better known as the voice of Tony the Tiger in the TV commercials. He received no screen credit for his singing, an oversight Dr. Seuss attempted to rectify by sending letters to every major columnist in America identifying Ravenscroft as the singer on "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch". He is also part of the chorus on the other two songs.
Tonight's feature is Pumpkinhead, directed by Stan Winston and starring Lance Henrickson.
As a young boy, Ed Harley (Lance Henrickson) saw an evil demon kill a man. Many years later, Harley and his young son are running a grocery stand in Nevada that is visited by 6 city youths on their way to a cabin. While Harley is away on an errand, one of the boys accidentally kills Harley's son with a motorcycle. Remembering what he had seen that night years ago, and what he had heard, Harley pays a visit to a reclusive witch who helps him invoke that demon - known as Pumpkinhead - to avenge his son's death. As he sees the youths being killed, one at a time, through the eyes of the demon, Harley discovers that a horrific price must be paid...
The American Nightmare, a documentary directed by Adam Simon, examines the nature of 1960's-70's horror films, the involved artists, and how they reflected contemporary society.
An alien (Klaatu) with his mighty robot (Gort) land their spacecraft on Cold War-era Earth just after the end of World War II. They bring an important message to the planet that Klaatu wishes to tell to representatives of all nations. However, communication turns out to be difficult, so, after learning something about the natives, Klaatu decides on an alternative approach.
This year, it's not the turkey being carved for Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving! Not a lot of horror movies take place on this holiday, but there is the 1981 slasher film Home Sweet Home.
An escaped mental patient steals a station wagon and makes his way to the Bradleys' Thanksgiving celebration, where he plans to make them a little less thankful...
Here's a death scene clip collection from the movie, for those that have an ...ahem... appetite for this sort of thing. No need to give me thanks.
A biker comes upon a girl with a flat tire and offers her a ride home. He winds up at a drug party with the girl's sister, then follows her to a turkey farm owned by her father, a mad scientist. The father turns the biker into a giant turkey monster who goes after drug dealers.
November 23 1887 – Boris Karloff born (d. 1969) 1917 – Michael Gough (actor in Hammer horror films) born 2001 – Silent Hill 2 released on the PlayStation, Xbox, and PC in Europe
November 24 1999 – End of Days released theatrically 2006 – Castlevania: Curse of Darkness released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in Japan
November 25
November 26 1992 – Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge released on the Game Boy in Europe 1997 – Alien: Resurrection released theatrically
November 27 1988 – John Carradine (actor in numerous horror films) dies (b. 1906) 1997 – Castlevania Legends released on the Game Boy in Japan 2003 – Castlevania: Lament of Innocence released on the PlayStation 2 in Japan
November 28 1974 – Let Sleeping Corpses Lie released theatrically
Members of an American scientific research outpost in Antarctica find themselves battling a parasitic alien organism capable of perfectly imitating its victims. They soon discover that this task will be harder than they thought, as they don't know which members of the team have already been assimilated and their paranoia threatens to tear them apart.
This is a chilling remake of The Thing From Another World, a 1952 movie which featured James Arness (of "Gunsmoke" fame) in the role of The Thing.
The movie Twilight opens today, so it seems appropriate to post a painting of dark romance.
"Vampire" was painted in 1893-4 by Edvard Munch, whose works also include "The Scream".
This painting was originally titled "Love and Pain". A critic mistakenly interpreted it, and the painting became commonly known thereafter as "Vampire". The woman in the painting is actually consoling her lover, not sucking his blood. Although...
November 16 1880 – Robert Wiene (director of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) born (d. 1938) 1984 – Night of the Comet released theatrically 1990 – Initiation: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 released theatrically
November 17 2001 – Frailty released theatrically
November 18 1990 – It premieres on television
November 19
November 20
November 21 1931 – Frankenstein released theatrically 1964 – Onibaba released theatrically in Japan 1990 – Predator 2 released theatrically 2002 – Resident Evil 0 released on the Nintendo GameCube in Japan 2002 – Gothika released theatrically
November 22 1958 – Jamie Lee Curtis (actress in Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night, etc.) born
A young couple wander into a mid-western town where all the adults are apparently dead and the children participate in a cult that worships a malevolent force in the corn fields.
The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce, is a satirical book published in 1911. It offers reinterpretations of terms in the English language which lampoon cant and political double-talk.
The blood and entrails used in the disemboweling of Capt. Rhodes were real. Pig intestines and blood were procured form a nearby slaughterhouse and used to make the scene. During filming the refrigerator housing intestines and blood was unplugged by custodial staff, and the entrails started to spoil causing most of those involved to become physically sick.
WARNING - CLIP CONTAINS SCENES OF GRAPHIC VIOLENCE
Here's a movie that kept me riveted to the screen when I saw it on television as a kid in the 60's.
The Spiral Staircase, directed by Robert Siodmak, is a psychological thriller. Based on Ethel Lina White's novel Some Must Watch, in which the heroine was crippled rather than mute, the novel was adapted for a radio production starring Helen Hayes before reaching the screen.
Her performance in the movie earned Ethel Barrymore an Oscar nomination in 1947 for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
Beautiful young mute Helen is a domestic worker for old ailing Mrs. Warren. Mrs. Warren's two sons, Albert (a professor) and womanizing impudent Steven, also live in the Warren mansion. Mrs. Warren becomes concerned for Helen's safety when a rash of murders involving 'women with afflictions' hits the neighborhood. She implores her physician, Dr. Parry, to take Helen away for her own safety. When another murder occurs inside the Warren mansion, it becomes obvious that Helen is in danger.
A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below. The man's hands were behind his back, the wrists bound with a cord. A rope closely encircled his neck. It was attached to a stout cross-timber above his head and the slack fell to the level of his knees.
A 1962 French short film was based on this story. It was directed by Robert Enrico and produced by Marcel Ichac and Paul de Roubaix with music by Henri Lanoe. It won awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Awards, and was also screened on American television as an episode of The Twilight Zone.
November 9 1984 – A Nightmare on Elm Street released theatrically 1984 – Silent Night, Deadly Night released theatrically 1988 – Child's Play released theatrically 2001 – Castlevania Chronicles released on the PlayStation in the European Union
November 10 1889 – Claude Rains (actor in many horror films) born (d. 1967)
November 11 1951 – Bill Moseley (actor in many horror films) born 1995 – Interview with the Vampire released theatrically 2002 – Resident Evil 0 released on the Nintendo GameCube in North America
November 12 1904 – Jacques Tourneur (director of many horror films) born (d. 1977) 1943 – The Mad Ghoul released theatrically 1999 – Resident Evil 3: Nemesis released for the PlayStation in North America 2004 – Seed of Chucky released theatrically
November 13 1933 – The Invisible Man released theatrically 1991 – Cape Fear (1991) released theatrically 1992 – Bram Stoker's Dracula released theatrically
Tonight's feature is an American cult classic comedy horror film - The Toxic Avenger.
Released by Troma Entertainment, known for producing low budget B-movies with campy concepts, and virtually ignored upon its first release, The Toxic Avenger caught on with moviegoers after a long and successful midnight movie engagement at the famed Bleecker Street Cinemas in New York City in late 1985.
Happy Election Day! In keeping with the theme of this site, yet wishing to note the day, here - straight from the White House website - are Ghosts of the White House!
Halloween is over (sigh), but here's a little pre-Christmastime tale for you.
Escape's "Back for Christmas" was adapted from the short story of the same name by John Collier. Both Escape and Suspense presented this tale but without the gruesome elements of the original work. The radio dramatizations also added extra scenes to fill the half-hour format.
The story begins in England, inside the house of a professor of botany named Herbert Carpenter. He and his wife, Hermione, are soon to leave for an extended trip to America, where he will be lecturing.
Hermione is a shrew who keeps her husband under her constant control. She has planned every detail of their trip with precision and, to her annoyance, Herbert is not conforming with her plan. Instead, he is wasting time on a botanical project in their cellar. He is also lingering too long at the bookshop to chat with the bookseller, Miss Markham.
Hermione has promised all of their friends that they will be back for Christmas, but if Herbert has his way -- she won't be.
The radioplay performed on Escape had originally aired on Suspense on December 23, 1943. Peter Lorre played the role of the professor and his rendition of the hen-pecked husband gone mad is classic. The name of the actress who played Hermione is not given, but it was probably Jeanette Nolan.
The story was also produced as an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1956. You can watch the full episode in a popout window by clicking on the picture below.
November 2 1990 – Jacob's Ladder released theatrically
November 3 1976 – Carrie released theatrically
November 4 1948 – The Snake Pit released theatrically
November 5 1943 – Son of Dracula (1943) released theatrically 2006 – Castlevania: Curse of Darkness released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in North America
November 6 1931 – Mike Nichols (director of Wolf) born 1972 – Thandie Newton (actress in Interview with the Vampire) born 1972 – Rebecca Romijn (actress in Godsend) born
November 7 1971 – Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde released theatrically 2000 – Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem released on the Nintendo GameCube in Australia
November 8 1847 – Bram Stoker (author of Dracula) born (d. 1912) 1968 – Parker Posey (actress in Scream 3) born 1975 – Tara Reid (actress in A Return to Salem's Lot, Urban Legend (film), Devil's Pond, Alone in the Dark, and The Crow: Wicked Prayer) born
Welcome to tonight's episode of Friday Night Frights. Yes, it is Saturday, but the Halloween spirit(s) lingers.
Tonight's episode, The Midnight Meat Train, is a FEARnet Special Presentation. From Clive Barker comes the story of a man struggling to make it as a photographer. Today's assignment: Follow that guy into the NYC Subway. And by the way, he is a serial killer. Starring Bradley Cooper, Brooke Shields, Leslie Bibb, and Vinnie Jones.
Tonight's feature is the one that started it all. Night of the Living Dead is the classic genre-spawning 1968 horror film directed by zombie master George A. Romero.
The plot revolves around the mysterious reanimation of the dead and the efforts of Ben, Barbra and five others to survive the night while trapped in a rural Pennsylvania farmhouse. Chaos descends as the bodies of the recently deceased inexplicably return to life and feed on human flesh. The only way to destroy the zombies is to destroy the brain!
Night of the Living Dead was awarded two honors thirty years after its debut. The Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry in 1999 with other films deemed "historically, culturally or aesthetically important in any way." In 2001, the American Film Institute named the film to a list of one hundred important horror and thriller films.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. From the Meridian Room in the Park Plaza in New York City, we bring you the music of Ramon Raquello and his orchestra."
The sounds of "La Cumparsita" began to fill the airwaves. But within moments, the performance was interrupted by a special bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News, telling of strange explosions of incandescent gas occurring at regular intervals on the planet Mars.
This dramatic approach - a performance interrupted by periodic news bulletins - is how writer Howard Koch adapted H. G. Wells's classic novel The War of the Worlds for radio broadcast. On October 30, 1938, the actors of The Mercury Theatre on the Air, led by twenty-three-year old Orson Welles, presented the adaptation on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). Within the first forty minutes of the program, the actors had vividly described Martians landing in New Jersey and decimating the state.
It was Halloween Eve. As Welles explained at the end of the broadcast, the adaptation of The War of the Worlds was a holiday offering - "The Mercury Theatre's own radio version of dressing up in a sheet and jumping out of a bush and saying Boo!" But although CBS made four announcements during the broadcast identifying it as a dramatic performance, at least one million of the estimated nine to twelve million Americans who heard it were deeply scared by that "Boo" - scared into some sort of action.
You can listen to the broadcast by using the POP-OUT PLAYER in the sidebar. The broadcast is the last item in the playlist. Happy Halloween Eve!
Stephen Vincent Benét (July 22, 1898 – March 13, 1943) was an American author, poet, short story writer and novelist. He is best known for his book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, John Brown's Body (1928), for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1929, and for two short stories, "The Devil and Daniel Webster" and "By the Waters of Babylon".
October 26 1979 – When a Stranger Calls (1979) released theatrically 2001 – Bones released theatrically
October 27 1989 – Shocker released theatrically 1989 – Castlevania: The Adventure released on the Game Boy in Japan 1995 – Vampire in Brooklyn released theatrically 1998 – Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 released theatrically
October 28 1951 – Joe R. Lansdale (winner of six Bram Stoker Awards for horror fiction) born 2005 – Saw II released theatrically 2005 – Masters of Horror premieres on television
October 29 1920 – The Golem: How He Came Into the World released theatrically in Germany 1973 – Return of the Blind Dead released theatrically 1993 – Return of the Living Dead III released on VHS 1993 – Demon Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood released on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx 16 in Japan 2004 – Versus released theatrically 2004 – Saw released theatrically
October 30 1938 – The War of the Worlds radio adaptation airs 1981 – Halloween II released theatrically
October 31 Halloween 1961 – Peter Jackson (director of Bad Taste and Braindead) born 1974 – Phantom of the Paradise released theatrically 1991 – Castlevania II: Simon's Quest released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan
November 1 1985 – A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge released theatrically 1997 – Castlevania: Symphony of the Night released on the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in the European Union 2000 – Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem released on the Nintendo GameCube in the European Union 2002 – 28 Days Later released theatrically in the United Kingdom
Description: The old Count is up to no good as usual. He has created a new breed of monster and is about to release them upon the world this Halloween. You, Snuffit The Vampire Slayer, must kill the hatchlings before the count breeds enough to release.
Instructions: Click on groups of two or more to destroy the hatchlings. More Hatchlings will spawn every time the blood tube empties, don't let them reach the top!!
Here it is - the movie that's behind the name of this blog, the first horror movie I remember seeing as a kid on TV, the movie featuring Steve McQueen in his first starring role - The Blob!
What would the average sensible American do if he encountered a pulsing ball of protoplasm from outer space? That's right: he'd poke it with a stick. Thus begins the endearingly earnest and silly tale of The Blob.
Young Steve McQueen takes on his first leading role as, um, Steve, a spunky teenager with plenty of heart. Steve sees the blob kill the local doc, but darn it, none of the town's adults will believe him! Yup, it's up to the teens to save the day! Steve and his trusty girlfriend Jane (played by Aneta Corsaut, who was Andy's girl Helen Crump on The Andy Griffith Show) break their curfews(!) and head off into the night to find the Blob and warn the town.
The Blob is a completely enjoyable watch from start to finish, offering the triple pleasures of 1950s morals, gee-whiz acting, and a whole lotta extras running around and screaming. The special effects, though primitive, certainly get the job done, and it is still a treat to watch the Blob ooze its way to its next meal.
You may notice that the theme song is surprisingly bouncy for a horror flick ("Beware of the Blob! It creeps, and leaps, and glides and slides across the floor"). It was written by Hal David's brother, Mack, and a fresh young composer by the name of Burt Bacharach.
BREWERBLOB, posted by Bill Brewer, is a general horror blog containing movie clips and trailers, Friday Night Frights, literature, music, art, and more.
If this is your first time here, please view the introductory post with navigation tips by clicking on the link below.
This 
