April 1, 2006

WELCOME TO THE VAULT OF THE FORGOTTEN AND OBSCURE!!!

ALTHOUGH THESE OVERLOOKED FOOTNOTES OF MOVIEDOM HAVE BEEN LOST IN THE ANNULS OF FILM HISTORY, THEY STILL EXIST IN THE MEMORY OF OUR CINEMATIC SUBCONCIOUS!

THESE ARE THE FILMS YOU DONT REMEMBER THE NAMES OF, BUT ARE SURE YOU SAW THEM!

THESE ARE THE FILMS WHO’S TV SPOTS SCARED YOU WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD!

THESE ARE THE FILMS THAT WERE MADE IN A TIME WHEN MOST OF THE COUNTRY WAS COKED UP!

SOME ARE HITS. MOST ARE MISSES. BUT EVEN THE FAILURES ARE SO SPECTACULAR, THEY CANNOT BE DENIED!

DO YOU DARE ENTER THE VAULT OF THE FORGOTTEN AND OBSCURE??? READ ON, AT YOUR OWN PERIL! -JSYN.

NIGHT OF THE CREEPS /1986/ d: Fred Dekker

In honor of the release of James Gunn’s ‘SLITHER’, I had to make a Vault contribution for ‘Night Of The Creeps’ – the classic 80’s horror/comedy gem from director Fred Dekker! In an era where “slasher” flicks were supreme, here came this oddball flick about a bunch of alien slugs that start possessing a town by turning their hosts into mindless zombies! This movie opens aboard an alien spacecraft, where an “experiment” is injected into a capsule and sent to 50’s era earth. Skip forward to the 80’s, we’ve got two geeky friends in college trying to get the attention of school beauty Cynthia. Before you know it, the alien infected teen from the 50’s get de-thawed, slugs are on the loose, and college teens start becoming zombies. Enter Detective Cameron played by horror legend Tom Atkins, who spouts catch phrases like “Thrill Me”.

This is one of those movies that had 2 alternate endings, and you were never really sure which ending you were going to get when you’d catch it on TV. This bad boy’s not on DVD just yet, but hunt your video stores or e-bay, because this is one that should never have been forgotten. And now with SLITHER just released, at least it’ll seem familiar to anyone who was a kid in the 80’s.

FRIGHT FACT! Director Fred Dekker also directed the beloved ‘Monster Squad’ and err… ‘Robocop 3’?! –robg. -4/06

DEMONWARP /1988/ d: Emmett Alston

Honestly, I just recently discovered this Vault pick at a horror convention. Any flick with the title ‘Demonwarp’, which stars George Kennedy and features an odd Bigfoot-like creature on the back I was sure was going to be quality crap! And sure enough, I loved this ridiculous movie. This is off-the-wall B-movie bliss. It features former Playmate Michelle Bauer. And hell… it features Billy Jayne! (Buddy from 80’s teen favorite ‘Just One Of The Guys’ and ‘Parker Lewis Can’t Lose!’) Honestly, I can’t spoil it for you. Just know that there’s a Bigfoot monster, something to do with an alien ship in the mountains, and one of the most bizarre movie endings for a vault pick I’ve ever seen. I dare you to find this!

FRIGHT FACT! The script was based on an original story by make-up effects artist John Carl Buechler, who also directed fan-fave Friday The 13th Part 7: The New Blood and designed the film’s “Bigfoot” creature! –robg. -4/06

I TRULY HOPED YOU ENJOYED YOUR VISIT TO THE VAULT OF THE FORGOTTEN AND OBSCURE! CHECK BACK HERE EVERY MONTH AS WE UNEARTH EVEN MORE TRAVESTIES AND DELIGHTS!

DO YOU HAVE A MOVIE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THE VAULT, OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE AN ANECDOTE OR SOME INFO TO ANY OF THE FILMS ABOVE? JUST CLICK THE LINK BELOW AND EMAIL ME!

JAY@ICONSOFFRIGHT.COM

WE WILL BE INCLUDING CONTRIBUTIONS FROM YOU, THE READERS, IN UPCOMING EDITIONS!

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH, JERKS!