POSSESSION (1981) starring Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill

Andrzej Żuławski's cult psychological horror is the latest installment in Project 60-For-60 (one horror film from each year that I've been alive), and it pretty much defies description. 

Ostensibly, the film tells the story of Mark (Sam Neill), a spy who returns home to his wife, Anna (Isabelle Adjani) and discovers that she is having an affair. The two quarrel, fight, grind meat, and cut themselves with an electric carving knife, all while trying (poorly) to care for their son, Bob. 

Anna leaves, Mark hires detectives to follow her, meets her doppleganger and starts having a twisted relationship with Heinrich, Anna's aforementioned lover.

Set in Cold War West Berlin, the flick has been interpreted as the breakup of a country, as well as a reflection on a bitter divorce. Whatever it is, you have to admire how much everyone involved flat out swings for the fences. It's really not my particular cup of tea (it's a little long and the way it jumps from relationship drama to psycho horror to monster movie can be disorienting), but it's pretty much essential viewing.

My previous exposure to the film was its original video release, which ditched about 30 minutes and made me ponder its cult status. This time out I watched the uncut two-hour version streaming on Shudder, which doesn't make a ton of sense either, but I certainly appreciated it more.

Much is made of Adjani's fearless performance (and rightly so after that subway sequence), but Sam Neill goes above and beyond as the tortured Mark. This was the same year as his portrayal of Satan's spawn Damien Thorn in OMEN III: THE FINAL CONFLICT and a couple years before the tv series REILLY: ACE OF SPIES catapulted him to leading man status.

For an evening that will have you questioning your sanity, pair this up with IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS and EVENT HORIZON. 

Next up? ALONE IN THE DARK (1982)! — Dan Taylor

THE DEVIL’S RAIN (1975) starring Ernest Borgnine and William Shatner

“Give Corbis what belongs to him!”

We finish out the first ten years of 60-For-60 with yet another William Shatner vehicle (hot on the heels of 1974’s sweat-soaked gigolo shocker IMPULSE), though this baby belongs lock stock and barrel to Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine.

After his father melts in front of his mother (Ida Lupino) and him, Mark Preston (Shatner) heads down to old, abandoned Redstone to make a deal with John Corbis, Satan’s Minister on Earth (Ernie B). Seems the Preston family is in possession of Corbis’ book of possessed souls, and he wants it back, so Mark bets his soul/freedom against the book. Is Mark’s faith stronger than that of Corbis?

It’s not, so it’s up to Dr. Tom Preston (Tom Skerritt!) to return home and figure out what happened to his family. Along for the ride is Tom’s wife Julie, who had visions of covens, upside down crosses and Satanic rituals during her recent ESP experiment and seems to be somewhat of a wax expert.

When Julie gets abducted by Corbis and his minions (including John Travolta!), it’s up to Tom and his pal Dr. Richards (Eddie Albert) to save the day and make it rain. The Devil’s Rain!

I’m not sure how or why this slice of Satanic Seventies Sinema flew under my radar for so long. It’s got the desolate vibe of THE HILLS HAVE EYES (1977) and RACE WITH THE DEVIL (1975), but always had a bit of a crappy reputation. But, as I’ve learned in the past (like in the case of THE SENTINEL and PROPHECY), other people are idiots and their opinions should never be trusted.

Director Robert Fuest (ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES and its sequel) packs the flick’s 86-minute running time with sacrifices, explosions, flashbacks (Pilgrim Borgnine!), and plenty of melting eyeless minions. 

But this is Borgnine’s show—from his aw-shucks toothy grin and extra husky Satan robes to his transformation into a goat-horned demon, he really seems to be having a blast. – Dan Taylor

IMPULSE (1974) starring William Shatner

“You can’t judge a hot dog by its skin.”

William Shatner stars as Matt Stone, a sleazy con artist/gigolo who prowls Florida looking for rich women to seduce and bilk out of their money. When his current mark confronts him after seeing him playing tonsil hockey with a belly dancer, Stone kills her in a fit of rage.

In search of his next payday, Stone gains the confidence of Julia (Ruth Roman), a wealthy older woman who introduces him to Ann (Jennifer Bishop), a lonely widower. Coincidentally, Stone had recently given a ride to Ann’s precocious daughter Tina (Kim Nicholas) after almost running her down—don’t ask. Matt and Ann strike up a relationship, while Tina grows suspicious of the leisure suit-wearing lothario. (The film’s working title was the icky WANT A RIDE, LITTLE GIRL?)

When Stone’s old cellmate Karate Pete (GOLDFINGER’s Harold Sakata!) rolls into town in his RV, it’s not because he misses his buddy. Karate Pete has heard Stone is working a hustle and wants in on the action. The reunion turns deadly, Tina discovers what Stone is capable of, and must convince her mother that he’s up to no good before it’s too late. Also, it’s fun to write “Karate Pete.”

Directed by William Grefé (STANLEY, MAKO: THE JAWS OF DEATH, WHISKEY MOUNTAIN with Christopher George), IMPULSE is a sweaty, grimy sleazer that predates the similar SCREAM FOR HELP (1984) and THE STEPFATHER (1987). Shatner, embarking on the low-budget era that would bring us THE DEVIL’S RAIN (my 1975 selection!) and the creepy KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS, was still five years away from reviving his flagging career with STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE. Here he looks both bemused and embarrassed by the material, though Grefé makes sure to placate his star by having a bevy of women throw themselves at The Shat.

One wonders what would have become of Shatner without the career rebirth that resulted from the success of STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982) and subsequent TREK flicks as well as the tv series T.J. HOOKER. Is there a multiverse where that Shatner embraced and excelled in the exploitation underbelly, carving out a straight-to-video career to rival that of Wings Hauser?

Up next — more Shatner with 1975’s THE DEVIL’S RAIN! – Dan Taylor

THE CRAZIES (1973) directed by George A. Romero

After dabbling in melodrama (1971’s THERE’S ALWAYS VANILLA) and bored housewives spicing up their lives with witchcraft (1973’s HUNGRY WIVES), George Romero returned to his horror roots with THE CRAZIES (aka CODE NAME: TRIXIE).

Though it shares some small-town horror elements with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968), THE CRAZIES is broader in scope and deals with Evans City, a small PA town north of Pittsburgh faced with an unexpected disaster. When a military plane crashes nearby and releases its deadly cargo into the water supply, those exposed either die or, well, go crazy. After the Army moves in to cut off the town and prevent the virus from spreading across the country, a band of locals finds themselves on the run.

Had Romero kept the story focused on their struggle to survive/escape, THE CRAZIES might be more successful. Unfortunately, he tries to juggle a half-dozen storylines, including frustrated military personnel, government brass wrestling with the idea of having to nuke the town, a scientist searching for a cure, and squads of gas-mask-clad soldiers trying to round up the locals who are becoming more and more resistant. The result is a lot of shouting, overacting, and dialogue filtered through radio speakers or muffled gas masks.

Eventually, THE CRAZIES finds its footing and focuses on buddies Dave and Clank, and Dave’s pregnant girlfriend, Judy, a nurse for the local doctor. Can they get past the Army’s tightening perimeter? Will the military seal off Evans City and find a cure? Will the politicians really nuke a small town in order to save their own ass?

THE CRAZIES is as ambitious as hell but may have been better suited to Romero’s “studio” days after the cult success of DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978). (It was remade in 2010 with Timothy Olyphant and Danielle Panabaker.) There are definite seeds of DAWN in the film’s core relationship—the levelheaded hero and his increasingly loose-cannon sidekick—but by the time you care about them it’s a bit too late. — Dan Taylor

HORROR EXPRESS (1972) starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Telly Savalas

"Whatever you have here is unholy — and must be destroyed!"

This was a tough year to select an entry for my 60-For-60 Horror Watchlist. It’s a classic year for horror, filled with ripe-for-the-picking choices like TALES FROM THE CRYPT, HUNCHBACK OF THE MORGUE, and THE NIGHT STALKER. But I couldn’t resist a rewatch of this underrated Spanish horror production starring Christopher Lee, longtime buddy Peter Cushing, a pre-stardom Telly Savalas, and a guy who is most definitely not Paul Naschy (Alberto de Mendoza).

A 1906 expedition led by Professor Saxton (Lee) unearths an ape-like creature frozen in a cave, which is crated up and placed on the Trans-Siberian Express. Scientific rival Doctor Wells (Cushing) is also on board and can’t help but wonder what Saxton has in that giant crate. Faster than you can say “there’s the stink of hell on this train” the thing is turning people’s eyeballs egg white and boiling their brains.

Puzzled by the murders—and those smooth, boiled brains—Saxton and Wells set out to solve the mystery while Not Paul Naschy has a complete breakdown, Kojak shows up with his Cossacks, and that detective won’t take his one hand out of his pocket.

Cushing lost his beloved wife just prior to filming and leaned on his old pal Lee to get him through the shoot, which gives the entire affair a sense of melancholy. The whole endeavor has an endearing turn-of-the-century period sci-fi vibe and this fun, claustrophobic, period take on ‘Who Goes There?’ deserves more love. – Dan Taylor

ICED (1988) starring Lisa Loring and Joesph Alan Johnson

"You invited a dead man!" 

Had BETTER OFF DEAD gone in a wildly different direction you might have ended up with ICED, a borderline inept late-80s ski-themed slasher currently streaming on Shudder. 

A few years after the death of their friend, Jeff, a group of old pals reunite at a new ski resort in order to hit the slopes, have some laughs, and maybe do a few lines of blow. What they don't know is that someone—or something—has brought them there to exact revenge for Jeff's demise.

Written by co-star Joseph Alan Johnson (who plays Alex, the handsome ski resort mogul), ICED can't decide what it wants to be. Is it a gory slasher? Is it sleazy horror? Unfortunately, it never goes all in on either, despite multiple scenes featuring original Wednesday Addams (Lisa Loring) in her birthday suit, and deaths by ski pole, icicle, bear trap, and hot tub electrocution. Cara mia!

There's a sleaze classic lurking here. Too bad it never goes far enough. Be sure to stay tuned for the loony ending! — Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and The Hungover Gourmet. He is expecting up to 15" of snow this weekend but no ski goggle-clad killers. He hopes.

PRIMATE (2026) Rabies Monkey Torments College Kids in Hawaii

One of my resolutions for 2026 was to see more flicks—especially horror films—in the theater. So, I kicked off the year's theatrical viewings with a semi-private morning screening of PRIMATE on my day off. 

College kid and her friends return home to Hawaii for the summer, only to discover something is wrong with Ben, the signing chimp who lives on her family's property. 

Way more entertaining than the usual slop that gets dumped onto screens in January. Delivers some good gore, and features an excellent score by Adrian Johnston that evokes the 80s trash I love. — Dan Taylor

THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED (1969) European proto-slasher starring Lilli Palmer

The latest installment in my 60-for-60 Horror Challenge is this spooky, intense, psychological proto-slasher from Spain. 

Teresa is dropped off at a home for wayward girls by a "friend of her mother's". The school (wannabe prison) is run by Mademoiselle Fourneau (Lilli Palmer), a strict headmistress who uses spies among the students to ferret out secrets and information. 

Teresa strikes up a friendship with Fourneau's son Louis, who is frequently reminded that the girls there are no good for him. When girls begin disappearing and her torment at the hands of Fourneau's flunkies gets to be too much, Teresa plans her escape. 

Top notch European horror that would influence genre classics including SUSPIRIA and PIECES. — Dan Taylor

Santa's Slay (2005) on TEA FOR TERROR

Season's Beatings! Check out the latest episode of TEA FOR TERROR in which my pal from across the pond and I discuss the killer Santa classick, SANTA'S SLAY (2005) starring Goldberg, Robert Culp, and ... James Caan?

Ho, ho, ho, oh no!

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) directed by George Romero

“Kill the brain, kill the ghoul.” 

Imagine being a kid in 1968 and having your folks drop you off at a Saturday matinee of the latest horror film. Raised on a steady diet of black & white Universal frighfests, Hammer horrors, and Z-grade monster flicks you grab your popcorn and soda, only to be thrust into arguably the most groundbreaking horror film of the late 1960s. 

Mind. Blown. (No pun intended.) 

George A. Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD raised the bar for horror cinema thanks to its documentary feel, racial and sexual tension, nudity, and gore. Made on the cheap with producers sharing the screen with real actors, it’s one of the great independent films of all time, and a landmark of the horror genre.

Barbara and her brother Johnny bicker as they drive into the country to place flowers at their father’s grave. When they spy a lumbering figure in the graveyard (Bill Hinzman, who turned his brief appearance into a cottage industry), Johnny taunts his sister, only to end up conking his head on a tombstone after the ghoul attacks them (the word “zombie” is never used). The young woman escapes and seeks refuge in a secluded farmhouse, only for it to be surrounded by the shuffling figures.

Ben (Duane Jones) arrives in a truck and helps barricade the home. Eventually, the pair are joined by fellow survivors who have sought shelter in the farmhouse basement: a young couple who were on their way to a swimming hole, and an older couple whose daughter was attacked and bitten by a ghoul. Ben (a young black man) and Cooper (an older white man played by producer Karl Hardman) argue about the safest course of action, bringing the racial and generational issues playing out in the country onto the big screen.

Romero ratchets up the tension between the two factions, and it becomes clear that this is a battle nobody is going to truly “win”.

I’d forgotten that the zombies in this first installment are swifter and more organized than what we’d see years later in DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) and DAY OF THE DEAD (1985). They smash car headlights and give the survivors tougher foes to combat than the brain dead, blue-skinned monsters who shuffle through the Monroeville Mall. And, despite our hopes that they’ll band together and survive to fight another day, Romero serves up a nihilistic ending that still delivers a powerful gut punch no matter how many times you’ve seen it. 

A handful of films absolutely changed cinema. This is one of them. — Dan Taylor

EYE OF THE DEVIL (1967) starring David Niven

Okay, so my 1967 installment is a slight cheat, but I’ll explain. While the film was released in Italy in 1966 and the United Kingdom in 1968, it had its American debut in December of 1967 in—of all places—Wisconsin. Regardless, I’ve had my eye on this one (no pun intended) for some time, and it’s my viewing challenge. So there. 

David Niven—whom I only know from things like THE PINK PANTHER (1963) and its sequels, MURDER BY DEATH (1976), and ROUGH CUT (1980)—stars as Philippe, a French aristocrat living in Paris with his wife Catherine (Deborah Kerr in a role originally given to Kim Novak) and their two children. After the third year of barren crops at the family vineyards, he is summoned to the ancestral home at Bellenac. There, weirdo priest Pere Dominic (Donald Pleasence) gives him a spooky amulet while towheaded siblings Christian (David Hemmings) and Odile (Sharon Tate in her first role) lurk around. 

Despite Philippe’s protests, Catherine brings the kids to Bellenac and slowly but surely she pieces together what we’ve all known from the get-go: somebody has to pay the price for the crappy harvest and that guy is Philippe. 

Directed by journeyman J. Lee Thompson (GUNS OF NAVARONE, CAPE FEAR, CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, THE EVIL THAT MEN DO, 10 TO MIDNIGHT, DEATH WISH 4: THE CRACKDOWN), the flick doesn’t hold a lot of surprises. Philippe returns, there’s some clandestine meetings with hooded creeps, and then it’s time to pay the piper. Not nearly as memorable or sinister as folk horror classics like THE WICKER MAN (1973) or BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW (1971), EYE benefits from the black and white photography (it would be the last MGM film released in the format), and the presence of Hemmings and Tate as sinister siblings. — Dan Taylor

THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE BARN! (2023) starring Martin Starr

After his uncle dies in a bizarre accident, Bill (Martin Starr) moves his family to Norway (?!) with dreams of turning the inherited property into a bed & breakfast. Upon arrival, his son discovers that the grounds are inhabited by a “barn elf” that will leave you alone if you follow a specific set of rules. Naturally, the family breaks the rules and, well, mayhem ensues. 

Despite a fun premise that initially had me giddy with gore-soaked anticipation, BARN doesn’t know what the hell it wants to be. Is it a comedy? Is it a bloody holiday horror? Unfortunately, it tries to be both and succeeds at being neither. 

Though there are some inspired bits, the whole thing runs way too long (no movie about murderous barn elves should be longer than 85 minutes), and if I have to see one more flick about a blended family where the step-parent needs to connect with a distant teen I’m going to turn into a murderous barn elf myself. 

Totally worth a background watch while you’re getting wasted on that eggnog your brother makes with lighter fluid, but not much better than that. — Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and he loves him some DON'T OPEN TILL CHRISTMAS.

KILL, BABY ... KILL! (1966) directed by Mario Bava

It’s the early 1900s, and Dr. Eswai has been summoned to a remote European village to perform an autopsy on the body of young Irena Hollander. Pursued by an unseen force, she hurled herself from a church bell tower onto spike below, and the superstitious townspeople are in no hurry to help the good doctor.

With the assistance of Inspector Kruger, Eswai retrieve’s Irena’s body and conducts an examination with the lovely Monica (Erika Blanc) as his assistant. Monica is no stranger to the town or its customs, having spent the first couple years of her life there.

After finding a silver coin embedded in Irena’s heart, Eswai learns that the town is gripped by superstition. Melissa, the young daughter of the town’s Baroness, died at the age of seven, pursuing a ball while drunk villagers ignored her cries for help. As legend has it, the vengeful ghost curses anyone who comes in contact with her. When Nadienne, the daughter of the local innkeepers, encounters the creepy kid, the village witch wraps her in a leech vine, which Eswai considers archaic nonsense and removes. Nadienne dies due to the deadly curse, further turning the townsfolk against the well-meaning doctor. 

Can Eswai solve the town’s deadly mystery? Is it truly the work of a vengeful spirit, or is there a more rational explanation to the deadly shenanigans? 

KILL, BABY ... KILL! is the eleventh film from Italian horror maestro Mario Bava and considered by many as his best work. I don’t feel that strongly about the flick, but it’s not due to its quality. Bava maintains a brisk pace for a Gothic period piece—usually my Kryptonite—and keeps the viewer guessing (though one twist is obvious early on). The ghostly Melissa (played by a young man) ratchets up the film’s fear factor, while Bava’s trademark lighting and visuals like swirling staircase, hidden crypts, and misty village streets add to the film’s mystery and visual impact. 

Though the film was a box office hit in Bava’s native country during its original release (outgrossing the director’s BLACK SUNDAY and BLACK SABBATH), its cultural impact is its true legacy. Both Martin Scorcese and David Lynch acknowledge the film’s influence on their work, while Federico Fellini lifted the idea of the ghostly child and their bouncing ball for the ‘Toby Dammit’ segment of the 1968 anthology flick SPIRITS OF THE DEAD. 

Personally, I prefer Bava’s contributions to the giallo genre (especially HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON and BAY OF BLOOD), but I dug KILL, BABY ... KILL!, especially for its look, feel, and pacing, especially in a genre that I frequently find snooze-inducing. (Also known as OPERATION FEAR, CURSE OF THE DEAD, and my favorite, THE DEAD EYES OF DR. DRACULA.) – Dan Taylor

60-For-60 Introduction: 60 Horror Films from 1966 to 2026

So, I turn 60 (gasp!) next year. Whenever I reach one of those nice round numbers, I always look to undertake some sort of movie-viewing project (even if I don’t complete it). This time I’ve decided to dedicate my ‘60-for-60’ to my beloved genre of horror. 

My introduction to horror came, oddly enough, at the hands of the great Abbott & Costello. Their movies aired after church every Sunday on one of the local Philly UHF channels (I believe it was WKBS-48) and their wonderful monster-mash ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948) was my gateway horror film. It remains, to this day, my favorite horror-comedy. 

My mom, the true movie nut in our household, said that if I liked that, I should probably start sampling the classic Universal horrors that ran every weekend on the local stations. (Thank you, 1970s television!) THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942) was next, and I was hooked. 

Universal led to Hammer, which led to trashy cable viewings, VHS rentals, and spending afternoons cutting classes in Philly to go catch Lucio Fulci’s 7 DOORS OF DEATH (1981), watching NIGHT OF THE ZOMBIES (1980) with out-of-order reels at the drive-in, consuming copious amounts of beer along with ALIEN: CONTAMINATION (1980) at my buddy’s house, or hopping around area theaters soaking in every moment of DEMONS (1985), EVIL DEAD 2 (1987), DAY OF THE DEAD (1985), LIFEFORCE (1985—which I’m seeing on the big screen again tonight!), and more while scribbling notes for our trash cinema zine. 

My goal isn’t to focus on new viewings, though I hope to lean into stuff I haven’t seen as well as flicks that are crying out for a rewatch. But I hope you’ll forgive me if a certain year rolls around and I just can’t help indulging in a JAWS (1975) or a RE-ANIMATOR (1985). — Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and The Hungover Gourmet. He used to think 60 was old.

Dead End (2003) starring Ray Wise, Lin Shaye

My buddy Lou used to say that the plot of any good movie could be summed up as follows: Create likable characters and then threaten to kill them. 

If only the creators of DEAD END had followed this advice. 

The Harrington family (Frank, Laura, their kids Richard and Marion, and Marion’s boyfriend Brad) heads out on Christmas Eve for their annual trip to the home of Laura’s family. Frank (Ray Wise) decides on an ill-advised short cut from the normal, boring route. 

After avoiding a head-on collision with another car, the family encounters a woman in white and her baby, a deserted baby carriage, and a spooky old black car that spirits away the travelers one by one. 

Unfortunately, the black car takes its good old time, and we have to live with these insufferable assholes while they argue, bicker, shoot one another, and divulge secrets, all while plodding along to the tedious, obvious conclusion. — Dan Taylor

AMITYVILLE 4: THE EVIL ESCAPES (1989) starring Patty Duke and Jane Wyatt

“To mistake is human, but to lie is the devil’s work!”

For a 70s kid weaned on “truth”-based pop culture like ‘In Search Of’, ‘Chariots of the Gods’ and the docudrama hilarity of such Sunn Classics entries as THE MYSTERIOUS MONSTERS (1975) and THE LINCOLN CONSPIRACY (1977), the possessed house shenanigans of all things Amityville Horror was right in my wheelhouse. Despite strict Catholic parents, I ate up everything Amityville-related during its period of peak relevance, from the now-debunked novel and newspaper articles to tv specials and, of course, the 1979 movie adaptation starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder.

Followed by a sleazy prequel (1982’s AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION) and a gimmicky 3-D heavy entry starring Tony Roberts, Lori Laughlin and Meg Ryan (1983’s cleverly titled AMITYVILLE 3-D), you would have thought that by the mid-80s audiences would have had enough of the possessed house and its propensity for attracting swarms of flies. 

Well, movie audiences had, as evidenced by the fact that A3D barely made back its $6 million budget—but that didn’t mean television wasn’t ready to cash in on a little name recognition. Which brings us to 1989’s made-for-tv thriller AMITYVILLE: THE EVIL ESCAPES starring Patty Duke (!) and Jane Wyatt (!!) as an estranged daughter and her mother who must battle, um, a lamp. 

But not just any lamp! After the horrific events at the famous abode, a team of priests—led by Norman Lloyd—clean house before the realtor can, well, clean house and sell the possessions at the world’s most ill-advised garage sale. When one zany buyer snatches up a kitschy lamp and ships it to her sister in California, she’s unaware that the lamp is responsible for landing Father Kibler (Fredric Lehne) in the hospital, where she too ends up after nicking her finger on the damned antique. 

Upon its arrival in California, the lamp begins causing all kinds of problems in the already-strained home of Alice Leacock (Wyatt), her widowed daughter Nancy (Duke) and Nancy’s three kids: Amanda, Brian and Jessica. Still dealing with the untimely death of their husband and father, Nancy and kids try not to create havoc in grandma’s seaside home, which proves harder than it sound thanks to little Jessica bonding with Lamp Daddy while everything from chainsaws and garbage disposals to sewer pipes and toaster ovens seems to have an (evil) mind of its own. 

While neither scary nor gory, THE EVIL ESCAPES is an enjoyably weird artifact from the days when horror franchises would limp their way to the boob tube before enough time had passed that they could be revived on the big screen (or at least direct-to-video) for a new audience. Shockingly, a recent trip down the Amityville Horror rabbit hole has unearthed close to two dozen Amityville-related titles (such as AMITYVILLE: A NEW GENERATION), some of which – like THE EVIL ESCAPES – aren’t half bad. — Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor of Exploitation Retrospect and had a lifelong crush on Patty Duke.

AMITYVILLE 3-D (1983, aka AMITYVILLE III: THE DEMON)

Tony Roberts stars as John Baxter, an investigative reporter who exposes frauds and paranormal scammers. After he and his partner, Melanie (Candy Clark), debunk a con at the old DeFeo/Amityville Horror house, John ends up purchasing the home from a local realtor. 

Sure, why not? 

Faster than you can say “I used to be in Woody Allen movies,” the house starts exerting its weird influence on John and those around him: the realtor dies at the home, John is trapped in a wonky elevator (that was just inspected last week!), and Melanie gets into a car crash after spotting a demon’s face in a photograph.

It all comes to a head after the deaths hit close to home and John’s estranged wife (Tess Harper) goes off the deep end. With the help of a team of paranormal investigators led by Dr. West (not THAT Dr. West), John seeks answers about the home’s otherworldly inhabitants.

The third entry in the surprisingly robust Amityville film series (check out AMITYVILLE BACKPACK or AMITYVILLE BIGFOOT), A3D leans into the trendy-for-its-time 3-D sequel concept, which gives the flick a dated, hokey feel. Besides Roberts, Clark, Harper and familiar faces like Robert Joy (Dr. West), the flick features Lori Laughlin (FULL HOUSE, the college fraud scandal) and Meg Ryan in supporting roles, making it perfect background viewing for Spooky Season. 

It would be followed by the tv movie AMITYVILLE 4: THE EVIL ESCAPES (1989), in which a possessed floor lamp takes its evil shenanigans to the west coast and terrorizes Patty Duke and Jane Wyatt. – Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor of Exploitation Retrospect, and a sucker for anything with the AMITYVILLE in the title. See his review of 1993's AMITYVILLE: A NEW GENERATION.

ISLAND OF TERROR (1966) directed by Terence Fisher

When the body of a villager turns up sans bones on remote Petrie’s Island off the coast of Ireland, local physician Dr. Landers travels to the mainland to enlist the help of pathologist Dr. Stanley (the always reliable Peter Cushing). Stymied by the situation, the pair draft Dr. David West, an expert on bone diseases, to assist them. West’s girlfriend Toni tags along, and they use her father’s helicopter to return to Petrie’s Island. 

It isn’t long before Landers, Stanley and West stumble upon the castle laboratory of Dr. Phillips, who has been researching a cure for cancer with his team of scientists. There, they find the boneless corpses of Phillips and Co. and grab the team’s notes in order to get to the bottom of the mystery. Turns out that Phillips had a breakthrough in his research and created a life form that would attack the cancer.

Unfortunately, the resulting “silicates” inject a bone-dissolving enzyme into their victims and replicate by dividing every few hours. The scientists soon realize that the creatures will take over the island in a few days if they don’t figure out a way to kill them. 

There’s a decent movie at the core of ISLAND OF TERROR, but it’s nothing you haven’t seen before. Director Terence Fisher (who also directed the same year’s DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS) keeps things tense, and Cushing acts his bony ass off, making you believe that the slow moving, ridiculous looking creatures (who ooze Lipton chicken noodle soup when dividing) are the height of terror. I’m sure this would have played great had I seen it in my formative years, but at this point it feels pretty by the numbers. 

GRADE: B (which feels generous)

THE FROZEN DEAD (1966) starring Dana Andrews

Though I watch horror films all year, viewing naturally goes into overdrive during October when every channel cranks up their Halloween offerings. In order to cut down on endless hours spent scrolling through streaming offerings, I usually pick a vague "theme" for the month. This year I settled on horror (and horror/sci-fi) released in 1966, the same year that I premiered. First up ... THE FROZEN DEAD!

Dana Andrews (CURSE OF THE DEMON, ZERO HOUR!) stars as Dr. Norberg, a Nazi scientist who lives at an English country estate. But it’s not all tea and crumpets as the bad doctor has been busy re-animating a troop of Nazi soldiers who have been on ice since the end of WWII. 

When Nazi brass show up expecting a significant development in the process, they discover that Norberg’s assistant, Karl, has jumped the gun and the results are not what they had hoped. Further complicating matters is the arrival of Norberg’s niece, Jean, her friend, Elsa, and Ted Roberts, an American scientist who has had success unfreezing brains. Mayhem ensues. 

Unfortunately, I’m making it all sound better than it really is. The flick has some great visuals and a haunting final scene, but there’s way too much blah, blah, blah. The flick feels more akin to the mad doctor movies of the 1950s than the game-changing NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, which would hit screens just two years later. 

GRADE: C+

Ghosthouse aka La Casa 3: Ghosthouse (1988) written and directed by Umberto Lenzi

During a lifetime of film viewing, I have made it a habit to always finish a movie. I’ve only walked out of two films (A FINE MESS and REVENGE OF THE NERDS 2) and have spent countless nights going back and finishing flicks that have repeatedly put me to sleep out of some strange sense of “journalistic integrity” (I’m looking at you, HOUR OF THE ASSASSIN starring Eric Estrada).

So, it struck me odd that when I flipped on Umberto Lenzi’s GHOSTHOUSE (directed under the pseudonym Humphrey Humbert), I had the sneaking suspicion that I’d seen it before. The opening scenes of doll-inspired violence, the dorky ham radio operator hearing strange pleading and screams … it all seemed familiar. 

But as the film progressed—and reached a moment where someone freaks out because there’s a decapitated head tumbling around a clothes dryer—I decided that I must have visited GHOSTHOUSE and never returned. Because I know one thing about me—I would have definitely finished a movie with a head in a dryer.

Unfortunately, what follows is a pretty pedestrian, late 80s Italian horror film that tries to ape the haunting stylishness of Dario Argento while also attempting to paint the screen read ala Lucio Fulci. Alas, you can’t have it both ways.

Paul and his girlfriend Martha (who resembles a pretty version of Maggie Gyllenhall) hear the aforementioned pleading and screams and decide to investigate. They eventually arrive at the infamous Baker house, where the film’s tragic opening scenes occurred. There they meet up with fellow ham radio dork Jim, his siblings Tina and Mark, and Susan, Mark’s girlfriend. Mayhem ensues when Jim gets killed by a possessed fan (echoing the sounds heard over the radio by Paul and Martha) and Tina is attacked by creepy caretaker Valkos.

Eventually, the two groups split up, with Paul and Martha investigating the home’s history while Tina, Mark and Susan stick around the house where they encounter demon dogs, possessed campers, faucets that flow with blood, and a basement pit filled with skulls and deadly goo.

It’s all pretty stupid and confusing, but the music by Piero Montanari and a fast-paced last half-hour make up for the slog of the first hour. — Dan Taylor