Chadwick H. Saxelid's Blog: Ghoulies, Ghosties, and Long-Leggedy Beasties, page 21

Brain Damage (1988) - Newspaper Ad

While I know I watched this back in the day, I think it might have been a bootleg of the unrated edition. Because the notorious (at the time) fellatio sequence was intact.

I also purchased and read the film's limited small press hardcover novelization, written by former Fangoria edition Robert "Uncle Bob" Martin and signed by both Martin and writer-director Frank Henenlotter. Still have it, too. #81 of 1000.

Alien (1979) - Trading Card #57

The weird alien creature has fastened itself to Kane's face, forcing part of its tail around the officer's throat. Surgery is useless, as this monster appears to be self-sealing!

It's not just self-sealing, though. It also has acid for blood!

The Face Hugger being called 'The Face Grabber' on this card suggests that the preferred, and popular, name for the creature had not been coined, or was not communicated to Topps, at the time of this card series' creation. So it goes.

The Birds on the Beach - A 1000 piece puzzle from Lantern Press

The Island (1980) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - June 13, 1980
The film versions of both The Island and The Shining opened on Friday, June 13th in 1980. The very day that the events in the first Friday the 13th movie were supposed to be taking place. How's that for an alignment?

I struggled and waffled over which movie to see on the big screen to celebrate my 13th birthday, The Island or The Shining? Hey, there's that alignment again. Go figure.

Richard D. Zanuck, David Brown, and, most importantly, Peter Benchley were integral parts of the production team responsible for Jaws, which was (and remains) my favorite movie of all time. But The Island was nothing at all like Jaws. There was also the fact that, at that time, I had been unable to finish reading the source novel, despite having made one or two attempts to do so.

I had no problem finishing The Shining, though. That book scared the daylights out of me and I hoped the movie would do the same.

The Shining won, as it never really was all that much of a contest to begin with.

When I did get around to finally seeing The Island, either on home video or HBO, I was even happier with the decision I had made.

The Blair Witch Project (1999) - Trading Card # 59

Sunset
Both Heather and Mike were on the verge of breakdowns as another evening approached. Their stomachs were empty and their nerves were completely shattered. "Tell me you're not eating a dry leaf?" Heather said weakly, observing an out-to-lunch Michael doing exactly that. They watched, almost numbly, as the sun set again, disappearing into the tree-lined distance. They prepared as best they could for yet another night of terror. 

Cape Fear (1991) - Soundtrack

Turns out repurposing Bernard Herrmann's score from the original Cape Fear (1962) for this 1991 remake was a splendid idea.

"The only reason the Herrmann thing worked is, in a curious way - don't ask me why - the score that Bennie wrote is much more appropriate for this film," the late Elmer Bernstein said in an interview quoted in Jeff Bond's liner notes for this release from Quartet Records. "I think he was the best creator on that [earlier] project, and he saw something in the film that wasn't there - but it's there now."
Herrmann favored writing his scores in segments that he could shuffle and piece together as needed. This allowed Bernstein to breakdown Herrmann's compositions and restructure them for the new film. Bernstein only needed to add some six minutes of original material.
Some of that 'original material' is taken from Herrmann's rejected score for Torn Curtain (1966) and is used to underscore a fight scene. "Herrmann's pounding timpani and rising brass cords are used here for almost the same circumstances," Bond explains in his liner notes. "A person being strangled."
The rejected Torn Curtain score is also used to underplay when a houseboat smashes against some rocks and breaks apart. 
For over thirty years I had the original soundtrack album that was released back in 1991, or so. No complaints about it, but I am really happy to have made this particular upgrade. It's nice to have the complete score for this one.

Empire of the Ants (1977) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - June 12, 1977
While I may not have been the most studious of biblical readers, I do know that it is supposed to be the meek who are supposed to inherit the Earth. After everyone else kills each other off, or the Rapture, or... you know what, never mind. Forget about it.

The ad campaign image for Bert I Gordon's The Food of the Gods, which was released the previous year, scared the snot out of me. This one, not so much.

While I would have liked to have been able to see it on the big screen, that was not to be. I did not see either The Food of the Gods or Empire of the Ants until they 'premiered' on Channel 7's The 3:30 Movie program. Something that necessitated the film's being trimmed down to a brisk 75 minutes, so that 15 minutes of commercials could also be broadcast in that 90-minute weekday afternoon time slot.

While I was gobsmacked at how silly they turned out to be, I also have never, ever been bored while watching them. They are tasty slices of the silliest kind of cinematic cheese.

Alien (1979) - Trading Card #56

 

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - June 11, 1975
Wow, I do not remember The 7th Voyage of Sinbad getting a theatrical re-release in June of 1975. The release of Jaws that very same month kind of eclipses everything else from that year, at least as far as how I remember it.

I also remember The 7th Voyage of Sinbad being something of a television viewing staple of my youth. If it was one, I would watch it.

The Blair Witch Project (1999) - Trading Card #58

Blood Offering
Eventually curiosity overtook Heather and she picked up the strange "package" of branches that she had thrown from the tent. She carefully peeled away layers of cloth and twigs but pulled away instantly when a bloody human body part became visible within the tangle. She began to hyperventilate, losing complete control for the first time. Minutes later she managed to calm herself down, washed her hands in the creek, and rejoined Mike without telling him what she discovered.

Trivia Legend has it that Heather Donahue had tossed the bundle without looking to see what it contained, which necessitated her begin instructed to do so.

It was a pretty effective moment in the film. One of the only truly overt 'shocks' it offered, as the rest were implied and left to the individual viewer's imagination.