Friday, March 15, 2024

'SILENT RAGE' An Underrated Thrill Ride!

Kung fu meets Frankenstein is how director Michael Miller described 'SILENT RAGE' one of the most underrated action horror films to come out in the early 80s 

With $4.5 million dollars budget the film landed in theaters on April 2nd 1982, via Columbia Pictures. Silent Rage would go on and make a modest $10.5 million dollars at the North American Box office, making the flick a box office somewhat of a disappointment.

I didn't have the pleasure of seeing the film in theaters back in 82 even though I seen many Chuck Norris films at the drive-in back in those days.

I didn't see Silent Rage till around 83 on HBO. It's one of those movies you remember watching and loving as a kid but as an adult you kind of forgot about. It wasn't till the birth of IMDB I was able to rediscover the film.

I always remembered there was a badass Chuck Norris horror movie from the 80s I loved but couldn't remember the title of the film. Finally searched Chuck Norris's film history one night and there it was "Silent Rage"! 

In my opinion the film is a slasher and a damn good one but I think most sees the flick as an action movie with a touch of sci-fi.

Anyways the film gets a 10 out 10 Severed Thumbs from me 👍 

Plot: A sheriff kills a murderer whose body is then donated to science. 

Three doctors operate on the body using a revolutionary drug that not only brings the criminal back to life but also gives him super-human powers.

When the resurrected man begins to kill again, the sheriff faces the difficult task of hunting him down..

Cast: Chuck Norris, Steven Keats
Toni Kalem, William Finley Brian Libby, Stephen Furst and Ron Silver 

Directed by: Michael Miller
Written by: Joseph Fraley

The movie is rated R for: Strong Violence, Nudity and Language

Runtime: 100 Minutes

Original TV Spot: https://youtu.be/kxUi54Zq5Lk?si=YeqRAgaYN4gBjI7n

Thursday, March 14, 2024

'The Last Starfighter' Is One Of The Best Sci-fi Movies Ever Made:

The Last Starfighter is a better Star Wars film then any Disney Star Wars film. That's right I said what I said! 

I had the pleasure of seeing The Last Starfighter back in 1984. I was 12 years old and freaking blown away by the story the characters and the special effects. I wondered for the longest time how they being the filmmakers did that 🤔 of course way back then the effects were done by CGI. 

Yes The Last Starfighter was one of early films to use cgi. I loved the film so much I went back to the theater next day to see it again. I believe I ended up seeing the film in theaters 4 times over that summer. 

I never understood why we never got a sequel because clearly the story of Alex Rogan becoming The Last Starfighter had room to continue and grow!

A sequel to the film has been talked about for almost 40 years now. Yes it's been that long 😳 hopefully we will will get one some day 🤞 anyways definitely check the film if you have never seen it! 

The film gets a solid 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a 6.7 on IMdB

For me 10 out of 10 Severed Thumbs 👍

On a $15 million dollar budget The Last Starfighter was released on July 13th 1984 and became a modest success at the North American box office pulling in just over $29 million dollars...

Story: After finally achieving the high score on Starfighter, his favorite arcade game, everyday teenager Alex Rogan (Lance Guest) meets the game's designer, Centauri (Robert Preston) -- who reveals that he created Starfighter as a training ground for developing and recruiting actual pilots to help fight a war in space. 

Whisked away from the banality of his trailer park life to a distant alien planet, Alex struggles to use his video game-playing skills to pilot a real ship, with real lives at stake...

Cast: Lance Guest, Robert Preston, Catherine Mary Stewart and Dan O'Herlihy

Written by: Jonathan R. Betuel
Directed by: Nick Castle

Runtime: 101 Minutes 
Rated: PG

Original Trailer: https://youtu.be/N5ikNeu3lTc?si=fdqVNEKaqtp8rssG

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Dolly Dearest Is Better Than Child's Play. That's Right You Heard Me:

Another movie I love but most seem to hate is 'Dolly Dearest'. To be honest I found more enjoyment than I did Child's Play, I know that's considered sacrilegious 🤷

But I did like Child's Play 2 better than Dolly Dearest, so there's that.

Anyways... Dolly Dearest has gained somewhat of a cult following over the years but it has also gained a lot of hate over the years as well because many considered the film to be a blatant rip off of Child's Play, even though killer doll movies have been around for decades prior to Child's Play.

The story follows Elliot Wade an American businessman as he buys a toy doll manufacturing company in Mexico, soon strange things start happening to his family.

Most notably, his young daughter, Jessica as she develops an unusually close bond with a doll she has found. The doll, possessed by an evil spirit, proceeds to terrorize the household and exert its influence on Jessica. Can Elliot free his daughter from the doll's supernatural grip?

Apparently the film is not currently streaming but someone uploaded the film to YouTube. Hopefully it's a good copy! Anyways definitely check it out 👍

Full Movie: https://youtu.be/dD4R3mZ18qI?si=NF9PS4sjAHLQTqtB

Cast:
Sam Bottoms as Elliot Wade
Denise Crosby as Marilyn Wade Candace Hutson as Jessica Chris Demetral as Jimmy Wade Lupe Ontiveros as Camilla
RIP Torn as Karl Resnick

Written by: Maria Lease, Rod Nave and Peter Sutcliffe

Directed by: Maria Lease

Runtime: 94 minutes

Dolly Dearest is Rated R for Strong Horror Violence, Blood and Language

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Finally Watched 'Five Nights At Freddy's' And It Was Bad:

The wife and I finally watched 'Five Nights At Freddy's' last night. I'm sooo glad we didn't pay to see this so-called horror flick in theaters because it has to be one of the most boring horror movie based on a video game I've ever seen.. 

There is nothing scary about this movie. The only thing scary about this boring turd is the Boxoffice gross. This Thomas Crapper managed to gross almost $300 million dollars worldwide on a $20 million dollar budget. WTF 😮🙄🤷

I'm sorry but at times the film felt more like a daytime lifetime movie then a theatrical film. I was so bored I kept trying to nod off. 

It was great seeing Matthew Lillard but it's to bad he really didn't have much to do till the final act. anyways as bad as the film was, it wasn't nearly as bad as Exorcist Believer, trust me that's a whole other level of bad 🤮.. 

Five Nights At Freddy's is another Blumhouse stinker joining a long line of Blumhouse stinkers 🤷

3 out of 10 Severed Thumbs

I think it's about time for me to avoid Jason Blum and the crap he pops out.

Checkout 'Willy's Wonderland' with Nicolas Cage If you actually want to watch a good horror movie about blood thirsty Animatronics. You'll have a much better time, trust me!

Plot: A troubled security guard begins working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the late shift at Freddy's won't be so easy to make it through...

Directed by: Emma Tammi

Written by: Scott Cawthon, Seth Cuddeback and Emma Tammi

Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson and Matthew Lillard

The flick is Rated: PG-13 "why I don't know" with a Runtime of 109 Minutes "way to long"

Trailer: https://youtu.be/nKS0ndKHRD4?si=9z1SUhF65PsoJax1



Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Let's Take A Look At 'VHS Massacre Too':

Watched 'VHS Massacre Too' last night on Tubi. 

The documentary takes a look 
at the post-video store era adventure that starts at the last Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon and ends with Lloyd Kaufman and Troma Entertainment's B movie HQ in New York City.

VHS Massacre Too was highly entertaining but also kind of sad knowing the glory days of video stores and independent production companies are all but dead. Big studios like WBs, Universal, Paramount made sure of that. But the Queen B Disney is the worse.

The documentary also takes a look at the rise of streaming and collapse of video stores. When video stores went away so did the source of income for independent studios because streaming companies just don't pay the independent companies not enough to survive that is. 

Most of your major streaming companies will flat out reject many independent low budget films all together. BTW you gotta love Lloyd Kaufman he really tells it like it is!

Anyways definitely check out VHS Massacre Too - 10 out of 10 Severed Thumbs 👍 @spookysteph

Trailer: https://youtu.be/8cVBWLd3HMg?si=RRcEHYhDxqpW4zQK

Monday, February 26, 2024

A Look Back At The 1984 Thriller 'Bedroom EYES':

On November 30th, 1984 erotic thriller 'BEDROOM EYES' made it's way into (limited) theaters, via Double Helix Films

 I would watch this film pretty regularly back in the 80s Cinemax I always thought it was pretty entertaining with some solid acting. Definitely worth checking out if you are into these types of films.

7 out of 10 Severed Thumbs 👍

Plot: A businessman and avid jogger finds a prime voyeurism spot on his nightly route. After some time spying he witnesses a murder instead. He soon becomes involved in a variety of situations stemming from the incident.

Cast: 

Kip Gilman (best known for the NBC sitcom Nurses), 

Barbara Law (The Surrogate), Dayle Haddon (North Dallas Forty, Cyborg)

Christine Cattell (Heartbreak High, A Friend to Die For, Graveyard Story, Last Dance)

James B. Douglas (Tora! Tora! Tora!, The Changeling, Deadly Eyes)

Alf Humphreys (My Bloody Valentine, First Blood, Final Destination 2, X2, Diary of a Wimpy Kid)

Written by: Michael Alan Eddy (Blind Date, Bedroom Eyes II)

Directed by: William Fruet (Death Weekend, Baker County, U.S.A, Killer Party, Goosebumps?

Runtime: 90 minutes
Rated R for Nudity, Language and some violence

Trailer: https://youtu.be/xWxgGxM2J1k?si=JDTd05GgBg1lwnf5