Blood Sucking Freaks (1977)- Joe Bob's Last Drive-In

Blood Sucking Freaks -(1977)

Dir- Joel M Reed

There are those films that are so outrageous that they are considered camp, yet this is not one of them. Also known as The Incredible Torture Show, this title seems more appropriate for this sick film. The setting for this movie is an off-off-Broadway Grand Guignol style show. The wicked magician Sardu shocks people with his realistic torture scenes that are not only genuine but also live in front of an audience. The theater is a cover for his group of sadists who enjoy kidnapping and torturing young naked women. Behind the scenes, his assistant Ralphus keeps some caged women cannibals for their evil deeds. Sardu also enjoys using these women as human dartboards and urinals. Whether it is meant as a joke is debatable as these scenes are shown with a sick tone and the events are taken for granted, talk about pure exploitation. The real trick is that the special effects are some of the worst on-screen; the blood looks like red paint, and a decapitation scene was laughably bad. The scenes of torture and dismemberment are so fake a nine-year-old could do better. Either way, Blood Sucking Freaks is a sad attempt to attain camp status, and since the movie was made with a small budget, it shows. Try sitting through this one more than once.

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)- The Los 366

For 2020 I will be listing what I feel are 366 essential horror films that all fans should watch. This list will include many of the best horror movies ever made as well as important films that I believe should be watched as well.

Bride of Frankenstein(1935)

Dir- James Whale

The monster having survived the fire in the mill that had supposedly killed him is taken in by a blind hermit.  He teaches him to speak and falls under the evil influence of another scientist who presses him to demand a mate from Dr. Frankenstein. A rare sequel that is better than its predecessor, the film marks the reappearance of Boris Karloff as the monster and Elsa Lanchester as both Mary Shelley and the classic bride we all remember. Bride of Frankenstein is considered by many critics and filmgoers to be the greatest of the Universal Monster movies and remains of the best films of that era.

House of Wax (1953)- The Los 366

For 2020 I will be listing what I feel are 366 essential horror films that all fans should watch. This list will include many of the best horror movies ever made as well as important films that I believe should be watched as well.

House of Wax (1953)

Dir- Andre De Toth

House of Wax was the first color 3-D movie, and it was the efforts of Director Andre De Toth that made it one of the best. He believed that if well employed, 3-D could be used as an extension of the film to make it an even more satisfying experience. Vincent Price plays a mad sculptor who produces superbly realistic wax figures for his museum. With the adoration of his patrons, no one is aware that the sculptures have a dark secret. The movie makes good use of the surroundings to create an atmosphere reminiscent of 19th Century Victorian London. Although the film was based on the 1930's film Mystery of the Wax Museum, House of Wax makes a radical change in the story by employing a finale more reminiscent of the Phantom of the Opera. A film that seems to bank entirely on the performance of its star and, in this case, was successful. Vincent Price was a great actor who starred in many classic films, yet he would always be typecasted into horror roles. A real pity, Vincent Price, was a great performer with plenty of range.

New Episode of The Midnight Manor Podcast

In this episode of The Midnight Manor Podcast, The Losman and Lady Winters talk about their trip to Bastrop for the Cult Classic Convention, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Candyman, and the appeal of Urban Legends in horror.

https://soundcloud.com/losman94/the-midnight-manor-podcast-episode-three

Tremors (1990)- The Los 366

For 2020 I will be listing what I feel are 366 essential horror films that all fans should watch. This list will include many of the best horror movies ever made as well as important films that I believe should be watched as well.

Tremors (1990)

Dir- Ron Underwood

Remember those movies of the fifties.  The ones that relied on the big scary monster and our fear of the unknown pretending to be Communism. Tremors take us to those beautiful days and give us a good scare and a dose of fifties style horror. It seems that an unidentified creature is killing the folks of a sleepy desert town. Two junks dealers meet up with a researcher and discover the monster at hand. They return to town to the amazed looks of the locals and are suddenly held hostage by even more of the tunnel dwellers. Tremors did not rely on mere gore like many monster movies of this period; it uses the fear of the unknown and places its heroes at odds with an unstoppable menace that has trapped them. Great practical creature effects highlight the intense performances by Fred Ward and Kevin Bacon as the two junk dealers. The real kudos go to Reba McIntyre and Michael Gross, who play a pair of survivalists in roles that are very far from their usual selves. A welcome addition to the field that was sorely lacking in a great monster movie.

Cloverfield (2008)- The Los 366

For 2020 I will be listing what I feel are 366 essential horror films that all fans should watch. This list will include many of the best horror movies ever made as well as important films that I believe should be watched as well.

Cloverfield (2008)

Dir- Matt Reeves

A monster attack on New York City is seen through the shaky video camera of a group of friends who flee the city and face threats from the creature as it tears through the city. Matt Reeves directs this found footage film that made excellent use of viral marketing to play up the fear as we see the events unfold before seeing the creature entirely.

Scanners (1981)- The Los 366

For 2020 I will be listing what I feel are 366 essential horror films that all fans should watch. This list will include many of the best horror movies ever made as well as important films that I believe should be watched as well.

Scanners (1981)

Dir- David Cronenberg

A homeless man named Vale with psychic abilities is recruited by a group to do battle with a powerful psychic known as Revok. Both men are known as Scanners and possess the ability to read minds and other skills that would make them powerful weapons. As Vale is trained to understand his abilities, he has to avoid assassins sent out by Revok and learn the secret of their abilities. Scanners is a 1981 sci-fi horror movie directed by Canadian David Cronenberg. The film was notable for the fantastic special effects created by makeup artist Dick Smith that included the famous head explosions. The film has become a cult classic and one of Cronenberg's most memorable movies along with The Fly remake.