Category Archives: Movies

Movies

Dead and Buried (1981) a (very) belated review

Back in the late 1970’s and into the 1980’s, horror cinema appeared to be on a crusade to push the envelope regarding gore.  Unfortunately, many of the films released at the time were either inferior productions or, after a few years, myriad sequels that repeated ad nauseam popular hits from yesteryear.

There are few horror films from that era that stick with me, but those that do, like the original Alien, have stuck with me for a very long time.  The 1981 film Dead and Buried boasts being made by “the creators of Alien“.  Does it come anywhere close to that classic?

Well…not quite, though the film does offer some good, Lovecraftian inspired chills along with some gruesome early Stan Winston effects.

The plot?  Well, that winds up being the movie’s biggest problem.  Not that the story presented is bad, necessarily, only that once it plays out one realizes this was maybe a one hour Twilight Zone/Outer Limits type story stretched out -too far!- into a feature length film.

Basically, the story goes like this: In the very small seaside town of Potter’s Bluff (a place that looks like it could be found in your typical H. P. Lovecraft story), a man goes to a lonely shore and takes nature pictures.  He is surprised when a beautiful blonde (Lisa Blount) appears and becomes very friendly with him.  But all is not as it seems and he is attacked and, it appears, killed.

When his torched vehicle shows is found, the town’s Sheriff, Dan Gillis (James Farentino) investigates along with quirky coroner William Dobbs (Jack Albertson, in one of his last movie roles) what happened to the man.  As the investigation goes on, strange things happen in and around the town.  Further, Gillis finds himself growing increasingly suspicious of the extra-curricular activities of his wife (the gorgeous Melody Anderson).

As I said before, all is certainly not as it seems and before the story is over Sheriff Gillis will uncover the eerie secrets of his hometown.

I don’t want to elaborate any more but suffice to say that despite an obvious very low budget Dead and Buried maintains a good level of suspense and delivers on its shocking gore.  The story, as mentioned, wasn’t enough to sustain a feature film and therefore the filmmakers had to add more victims to the story to fill out time.  Given the conclusion, one couldn’t help but wonder why there was such a need to have each victim so brutally killed..

Still, for a 30 plus year old film, Dead and Buried remains a decent enough horror feature with some still quite good special effects.  For those who enjoy the horror films of this era, this is an easy recommendation.

Movies

Hickey and Boggs (1972) a (very) belated review

So Kino/Loder decides to release the cult noir/detective 1972 film Hickey and Boggs this past week to BluRay aaaaand…could their timing be any worse?

After all, the film stars Robert Culp and….Bill Cosby.  Yup.  That Bill Cosby.

I ordered the film when its release was first announced several months ago, before the current Bill Cosby media blow up.  I guess if this film was in the planning stages for release at this moment, the studios would have scuttled it completely.  Which I suppose means fans of the film should be happy it was released at all.

Now, I happen to be a big fan of good film noir/detective dramas.  I’m also a very big fan of the early works of Walter Hill, the movie’s screenwriter.  I might have seen Hickey and Boggs many years ago.  Maybe not the whole thing, perhaps no more than a scene or two, and I remembered next to nothing about it.  Still, I had to get it, if only for Mr. Hill’s contribution.

I’m glad I did.

Having said that, let me address the obvious: Yes, it is uncomfortable to watch Bill Cosby, even this very young Bill Cosby, given the current stories surrounding his alleged behavior.  I know there are those who refuse to see any films, past or present, featuring Mel Gibson because of his well documented meltdowns and bizarre behavior.  The same will most certainly be the case with Mr. Cosby.

Having said that, if you can divorce artist from art, which is what I had to do, you will probably love the hell out of Hickey and Boggs.

The film’s story involves the two very much down on their luck private detectives (Culp, who also directed this film, and Crosby) and what happens to them after they are hired to find a woman.  The man hiring them is sleazy but in the case of the two detectives, beggars can’t be choosers.  Hickey and Boggs follow their sleazy client’s list of associates the woman might have ties with and sink deeper and deeper into an increasingly violent hole that, in the end, involves much more than a simple missing woman.

The rapport between Culp and Crosby, who had starred together from 1965 to 1968 in the popular I Spy detective show, is what makes this movie hum.  The two act and talk as if they have known each other for a long time (which by that point they had in real life) and their on screen relationship is easygoing and natural…just as their character lives are a disaster.

Taking on this particular case eventually puts them in the bullseye of both hired thugs and the police while tempting them to find a missing stash of money.

As I mentioned before, I enjoyed the hell out of this film and would easily put it up there with some of my favorite noir/detective dramas.  The action is good, the plot interesting, and Culp and Crosby are fascinating to watch as they warily pace the streets of a not so-sparkling L.A.

If you can forget for a moment the terrible stories associated with Bill Cosby and give Hickey and Boggs a try, you will not be disappointed.  If you can’t ignore the stories surrounding Mr. Cosby and find it difficult to separate the artist from his art, then you best stay away.

Movies

10 Greatest Banned Movie Posters of All-Time…

Can’t disagree with many of the choices, particularly the #1 poster!

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/10-Greatest-Banned-Movie-Posters-All-Time-68067.html

And from HitFix, the 10 Best Movie Trilogies of all time:

http://www.hitfix.com/galleries/10-of-the-best-movie-trilogies-of-all-time

Unlike the previous list, I can only agree with a handful of the choices -those I’ve seen- and disagree (sometimes strongly) with some of the other choices.

I would say that of the best trilogies they present, I’d put the Dollars trilogy at the very top of the list.  Each film in that fabulous Sergio Leone directed, Clint Eastwood starring series was better than the one before it, culminating in the incredible The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.  Now, there were further western films directed by Sergio Leone, including the very well regarded Once Upon a Time in the West which many feel is the best of his westerns.  I like the film a lot, but still consider TGTBATU the best.

The Bourne trilogy I would also put on this list, though unlike the Dollars series I didn’t feel the films necessarily got better as they went along.  Rather, they maintained a very high level and were very entertaining throughout.

The Dark Knight Trilogy, similarly, worked very well from film to film.  Even the much derided final of the three films, in my opinion, delivered.

The Star Wars Trilogy.  We’re talking about the original three Star Wars films here.  I’ve noted before I’m not a big fan of the trilogy but can certainly understand if you liked the first one, you liked all three, including the weakest of the bunch, Return of the Jedi.

Near Misses

To me, these trilogies featured at least two really good, even exceptional films in their group but one was a misfire:

The Mad Max Trilogy.  I loved, loved, loved The Road Warrior.  I liked the first film, Mad Max but felt the low budget hampered it along with the general downbeat nature of the story.  Yet that first film was still very good.  The final film in the original trilogy, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, was to me a misfire.  They took what made the first two film so good (the insane car chases) and for the most part eliminated them.  A big mistake.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, like the Mad Max Trilogy, to me started with two damn good films but totally fizzled for the finale.  Understand: I’m a big fan of those first two movies but the third one broke me, especially with its superprolonged “conclusion”.  It broke me so bad I’ve had no interest at all in seeing The Hobbit.

The Godfather Trilogy.  Again, first two films were incredible.  Third simply wasn’t.

No Way

The Matrix Trilogy:  The first film was mind-blowing stuff.  The other two were confusing and anti-climactic.  There were some great scenes here and there in those last two films, but it felt like I was watching a rushed, half-thought out story.

As of yet unseen…

I cannot offer opinions about the remaining trilogies as I haven’t seen them through (if at all).  Toy Story is the trilogy I came closest to seeing all the way through, having seen the first two movies but having my fill and deciding not to check out the third.  The first two films were delightful, though.  It’s just that there are so many hours in the day and spending them with the Toy Story cast once again doesn’t interest me.

Movies, TV

Get off my lawn…!

Rather…um…interesting article by Lewis Beale arguing that Star Wars “ruined” science fiction:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/02/opinion/beale-star-wars/index.html

As you can tell by this blog’s title, I do indeed accuse Mr. Beale of being a fuddy-duddy regarding this article.  And, unlike him, I was never a big Star Wars fan.

For those who haven’t read my blogs before, I was a very ripe 11 years old when the original Star Wars came out in 1977.  I distinctly recall the hysteria at the time and wound up seeing the film to a very packed house upon the very first week of its release.  The theater was filled with other boys roughly my age (it was an early showing) and they were whooping and hollering at every gee-whiz effect and clapping at every near escape…

…and when it was over, the whole experience left me cold.

So cold, in fact, that I didn’t bother seeing Empire Strikes Back when it came to theaters a couple of years later.  It wasn’t until the film aired on TV that I first saw it…and found it was about on par with the original, IMHO, that is to say: It left me cold.

Please don’t think me some kind of snob.

If you like Star Wars and its sequels, more power to you.  I love science ficiton (which should be obvious given my novels) and certainly loved, loved, loved it with a great fervor back in 1977.  Yet Star Wars didn’t connect with me.  I didn’t hate the film, but just didn’t like it all that much.  Different strokes, I suppose.

Fast forward to Mr. Beale’s article and…come on, Mr. Beale.  You seriously think there haven’t been attempts at more serious science fiction in cinema since Star Wars?  The advent of this film and series certainly has had an impact and, yes, I agree that there are many 1940’s-like cliffhanger serials on steroids released nowadays, but there are also plenty of more cerebral sci-fi works.

Most recently we had Interstellar (still in theaters!), but in recent times and on TV there have been works like Battlestar: Galactica and Lost, both series which ended on a whimper yet delivered some fascinating storylines in their prime.  You mention The Matrix but one can list many recent vintage films that weren’t just about action-action-action, movies like Donnie Darko (forget the “director’s cut”) up to last summer’s fabulous Edge of Tomorrow (a film even Tom Cruise haters will surely like).  Even the absolutely unnecessary (and, in my opinion, failed) Robocop remake eerily probed into the idea of how much humanity a person retains when most of his body is gone.

The point is that culture has a tendency to move along and release a broad range of works which you may like and which you may not.  I suspect there will always be the modern version of those old cliffhanger serials just as there will appear works that try to stretch the genre and offer food for thought.

Just because Star Wars was successful and led to many imitators doesn’t mean the genre is ruined.

Movies

Snowpiercer (2013) a (mildly) belated review

While science fiction movies/tv shows often present audiences with pure, unadulterated escapism, there have been plenty of examples of using this genre to reflect on, analyse, and/or critique society.

One of the earliest (and greatest, in my opinion) science fiction films, Metropolis (1927), was a story of how the haves and the have-nots function in a society…and where their breaking point -and ultimately peace between them- lies.  The original Star Trek series would frequently present episodes which were thinly veiled looks at the then present, and at times turbulent, mid to late 1960’s era.

Sometimes, however, well meaning creators present their futuristic works in silly, obvious, and/or ham-handed ways which makes the whole endeavor fall apart.  The highly anticipated 2013 film Elysium, for example, figuratively hit this particular viewer over the head with its tale of societal dysfunction.  The whole endeavor was so obvious, so hammy, that I couldn’t help but be disappointed.

Incredibly, many of the elements found in Elysium showed up in Snowpiercer.  Yet while the former failed to deliver (or delivered to heavily) on its concepts, the later does so in spades.

To put it bluntly, Snowpiercer totally blew me away.

The movie’s plot goes as follows: In the near future, humanity tried to stop global warming by spiking the atmosphere with some new, experimental chemical.  The result proved horrific: Instead of cooling the Earth down, it froze it, encasing all lands in snow and ice (this concept, by the way, is not entirely new.  It found its way in the for the most part forgotten –and with good reason– low budget film The Colony).  What’s left of humanity rides in a perpetually operating train that runs on tracks around the frozen globe.

The train is divided into sections and we follow the passengers crammed into the dreary rear as they plan a revolt against their oppressors, the ones who live in the sections beyond.

This is all you need to know about the film’s basic story, but be prepared for some very interesting questions regarding humanity, revolt, and true independence.  There’s a delightful added extra for those familiar with -and have a negative impression about- the works of Ayn Rand.  The movie appears to be almost like an anti-Atlas Shrugged, complete with a Ayn Rand lookalike (I’ll get into that later) and a railroad magnate.

Unlike Elysium’s off-putting sledgehammer approach, Snowpiercer offers a far more meaty plot that leads you into interesting, and at times almost avant-guard directions.  The protagonist of the story, rebellion leader Curtis (Chris Evans), proves to be far more than he at first appears and carries some very dark secrets.  His mentor, Gilliam (John Hurt), proves to carry is own secrets as well, and they may be darker yet.

Perhaps the most fascinating character is Mason (Tilda Swinton).  Ms. Swinton delivers a terrific, at times over the top turn as the medium between the “head and the heart” (take that, Metropolis fans!) in what I can only guess is a full on parody of Ayn Rand herself.

It’s rare that a movie has hit me like Snowpiercer has.  Walking into it I was cautiously optimistic.  Walking out, I couldn’t help but feel totally blown away.

Snowpiercer is the real deal.  Highly recommended.

Movies

Horror Movies…

Given the date, I figured I’d link up to my list of favorite horror films but, lo and behold, it doesn’t appear I ever made one!

Strange.  I could have sworn…

Anyway, I’ll offer this list.  If I did make a favorite horror film list before and just proved how inept I am at finding it, consider this the 2014 edition of E.R. Torre’s Favorite Horror films.

Without further ado, in no particular order…

Nosferatu (1922) The very first version of Bram Stoker’s famous novel Dracula is, in my opinion, the best.  While Bela Lugosi made a great Dracula, Max Schreck’s Count Orlok is positively chilling.  This is a great, timeless film, made all the more incredible because film itself was in its infancy during this time.  The film was recently restored and released on BluRay.  Very much worth checking out if you haven’t yet!

Duel (1971)/Jaws (1975).  Yes, a bit of a cheat here, including two films at once, but I’ve always felt these two films were part of a single whole.  Both were, of course, directed by Steven Spielberg and the first put him on the map while the second made him a superstar.  Both films are also, in my opinion, thematically similar as they follow a “common” man’s attempt to destroy a murderous, seemingly unstoppable monster.

In the case of Duel, the monster was a truck bent on killing our hero…

…while Jaws featured a giant man-eating shark.

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) Perhaps my all time favorite “siege” film.  Director John Carpenter, just before hitting it big with Halloween, delivers a tense, unflinching suspense film that does not let up.  A group of prisoners are held overnight in a Police Precinct that’s about to be shut down.  A skeleton staff watches over them, unaware that the shadowy, deadly gangs of L.A. have united and are intent on terrorizing the city.  Their first target?  Take a wild guess.

The movie is essentially a modern day western with elements of Night of the Living Dead.  A terrific piece of work.  Whatever you do, don’t bother with the remake…

The Warriors (1979) Director Walter Hill delivered a terrific, suspenseful reverse siege film with The Warriors.  In this case, we have a gang that’s deep in “enemy” territory trying to make their way home while every other gang out there wants them dead.  The climax of this film -and the villains taunts- are the stuff of legend.  Unfortunately, Mr. Hill returned to the film a few years ago and made a bunch of changes, delivering his “Director’s Cut” of The Warriors.  This version is the only one available on video nowadays and…well…it’s not as good as the theatrical version.  Perhaps one day we’ll get it back.

Alien (1979)  The years may have somewhat dulled this movie’s impact, but it remains one of the all time best Lovecraftian horror films.  Director Ridley Scott presents an almost cinema verite horror film, complete with another unstoppable force of evil.  Even the theatrical trailer freaked me out…

The Shining (1980)  When I first saw this movie in theaters back when it was released, I didn’t find it scary at all.  At the time I was just starting to recognize certain names in the industry, and director Stanley Kubrick was, to me, an unknown.  Shortly afterwards I discovered -and grew to absolutely love– his movies.  The Shining, however, remained a curiosity.  Perhaps, I figured, Mr. Kubrick simply misfired.  Then, over the years, I would catch bits and pieces of the movie on TV and I’ll be damned if the film’s eerie horror didn’t gradually work its way into my blood.  While The Shining may not be one of those films that grabs you by the throat on its first viewing, its one of those horror films that festers and grows.  A terrific piece of moody horror.

Dawn of the Dead (1978) George Romero shocked the world with the low budget 1968 Night of the Living Dead but, to me, his follow up truly took the Zombie genre into legendary realms.  A movie that is alternately horrifying, gory, dramatic, and…humorous?!… Dawn of the Dead has it all.  A movie whose influence is still being felt today…I’m looking at you Walking Dead.

The Terminator (1984) / Aliens (1986) Another double feature, this one via director James Cameron.  In these two films Mr. Cameron delivered his unique, crazy vision of the ultimate in action and horror.  Once things get going, they never stop…

There are those who think Terminator 2 is the better Terminator film.  I disagree.  The original, though made on a far lower budget, is to me far more relentless.  As for Aliens, Mr. Cameron another great (and scary) roller coaster ride!

Evil Dead II (1987) While Mr. Cameron proved adept at mixing action with horror, director Sam Raimi proved just as adept at mixing horror with what would appear to be a more unlikely genre: Comedy.  The first Evil Dead, a very low budget affair, shows glimmers of humor, but with Evil Dead II, Mr. Raimi and lead actor (and cult favorite) Bruce Campbell take things several steps forward, creating a movie that’ll have you laughing out loud just before screaming!  A terrific, twisted piece of work…

Whew.  I think I’ll stop there, at least for now.  I’m sure there are dozens more I could add, though.  Give me some time…

Movies

Just in time for Halloween

The Horror Movie Music Quiz!

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/10/28/horror-movie-theme-music-quiz-guess-the-horror-film-from-its-soundtrack.html

I managed to get 10 of 13 (making me just slightly above the average of 9 out of 13).  I probably would have done worse but the Wheel of Fortune way they make you fill in the movie’s title allowed me to figure out at least two soundtracks though I had no idea where the music was from (one movie’s name is very long while the other has an apostrophe, which helped to figure out at least one of the letters!).

Anyway, good stuff!

Movies

Cold in July (2014) a (mildly) belated review

I first heard about Cold In July when it was making the film festival circuit earlier in the year.  People said very good things about it and, given that it was based on a story by Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-Tep), I was intrigued.

The film was barely released to theaters but when it arrived on the home video market (without too much fanfare, sadly), I needed to see it.  Yesterday I finally had the chance to do so.

What I saw was a film that started somewhat slowly, taking its time to build the central character and going in a certain direction only to make several interesting twists and turns before, unfortunately, ending on a rather bland note.

The plot of the film, at least as much as I’m willing to reveal without getting into spoilers, starts with Richard Dane (Michael C. Hall) awoken by his wife late at night.  His wife heard something and, sure enough, it is apparent someone has broken into the house.  Richard goes to his closet and gets his handgun, then makes his way to the living room.  There, the very nervous homeowner confronts the robber and, without meaning to, kills him with a single shot.

Afterwards, the police arrive and go through the procedure of writing their reports.  They assure Richard that what he did was self-defense and there won’t be any problems afterwards.

They are quite wrong.

Richard is wracked with guilt at his actions.  So much so that he goes to the robber’s funeral.  There, he is confronted by the man’s father, a recently released convict named Russel (Sam Shepherd), and the elderly man makes menacing statements directed at Richard’s son.  At this point it appears we’re dealing with an “eye for an eye” situation…

Only things aren’t always what they seem and the story goes through several clever twists and turns.

To me, this was where the movie really started to soar.  Despite the obvious low budget and the filmmakers attempts at emulating early John Carpenter films, I was fascinated by the developments and, in particular, the scene stealing turn by Don Johnson.  His P.I. Jim Bob was easily the highlight of the second part of the film.

Unfortunately, and as I stated before, this intriguing film builds up to a climax that is neither terribly suspenseful or original.  Rather than leave me breathless and amazed, I was left thinking I’d seen this type of climax many times before…and better done (think Rolling Thunder).  Assuming the movie was true to Mr. Lansdale’s story, one gets the feeling that he came up with a lot of clever concepts but didn’t have a terribly original or clever way to wrap it up so he went for something tried and true.  And, unfortunately, not terribly great.

In the end, I can only offer a mild endorsement for Cold In July.  For most of its runtime this film is clever, original, humorous, and surprising but unfortunately gives you a very unsurprising ending.

Too bad.

Movies

Supernova (2000) coming to…BluRay?!?

File this under “I didn’t see that one coming”:

Shout! Factory, the company whose focus appears to be in releasing quirky, cult films of yesteryear, will be releasing the 2000 sci-fi horror film Supernova to BluRay in January of 2015 (read about it here).  Considering Shout! Factory’s previous releases, I’m expecting some pretty interesting bonus material here…perhaps even the film’s original Walter Hill rough cut.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Supernova is a film with a very peculiar history, one which you can read about here:

http://movie-memorabilia-emporium.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Supernova

According to the above, Geoffrey Wright was the movie’s original director but dropped out.  The legendary Walter Hill then took over and, effectively, “made” the film.  However, toward the end, when it was in the process of being edited for release, there were clashes between the director and the studios and Walter Hill abandoned the project.  Francis Ford Coppola (yes, Francis Ford Coppola!!!!) then came in and, using the footage available, assembled the theatrical cut which was unceremonially dumped into theaters with the directing credits listed to the pseudonym “Thomas Lee”.

The movie, at least in its theatrical incarnation, is a trainwreck, yet given the talent both in front of and behind the cameras, a most curious one.  I reviewed the film a couple of years ago here:

http://ertorre.com/randomthoughts/2012/12/16/supernova-2000-a-very-belated-review/

You should check out the above link, if only to see some alternate sequences that were presented in the original DVD release of a few years before, including the movie’s original, far darker alternate ending.

What makes Supernova even more fascinating to me is that it seemed the general theme and certain elements within are not unlike that of 2012’s controversial Prometheus.  In fact, I’d be bold enough to say that Supernova, if not a “first draft” of Prometheus, in some ways had to be an inspiration to that later film.  And why not?  Director Walter Hill is the producer of all the Alien films, from the classic Alien and Aliens all the way to, yes indeed, Prometheus.

Perhaps the inspiration was subconscious.  Or perhaps Mr. Hill was still smarting from the failure of Supernova and felt the general story (or rather story theme) deserved a second shot.

I don’t know, but I’m damn curious to get my hands on Shout! Factory’s BluRay the day it is available!

Movies

Without Warning (1980) a (ridiculously) belated review

I saw the very low budget sci-fi/horror film Without Warning one night while it was playing on cable way, waaaay back in the very early 1980’s.  Perhaps as early as 1981.

I remembered very little about it, but what I did recall stuck with me for decades.

Here’s the theatrical trailer.  Sorry for its relatively low quality (I couldn’t find anything significantly better), but in seeing this trailer, some of the stuff I remembered so clearly can be found within:

To elaborate, my main memories of the film involved the flying “organic” discs that the alien flings at its victims.  I remembered finding the whole thing so gory…again, for that particular time.

It would appear others remembered those details too because Shout! Factory has been kind enough to release Without Warning in a special edition BluRay with considerable bells and whistles.  After seeing the movie listing on Amazon a few times, I finally gave in and ordered it.  (A quick aside: I also purchased the original 1979 Tourist Trap and have pre-ordered the 1973 The Long Goodbye and 1972 Hickey and Boggs…viva the movies of the 1970’s!)

When the movie arrived, I simply had to see it from start to end and see what/why pieces of it had lingered in my mind for so very long.

What I found was a decent enough horror film that can rightly be called a precursor to the far better known Predator.  Certainly the plots of both films share this much in common: They both feature a mysterious and deadly alien hunter whose prey is homo-sapiens…and who has no trouble killing his prey in gruesome ways.

While Predator featured a bigger budget and, while scary, was primarily an action film, Without Warning’s focus is more toward horror.

Like Predator, the plot is quite simple: Two young men and two young women (included among them a very, very young David Caruso) head out the “lake” but before reaching it stumble upon some seriously strange locals at a run down gas station (Jack Palance and Martin Landau, both of hamming it up and turning their creepiness factor to “11”).  Martin Landau appears dazed, a veteran of the armed forces who may not have a grip on reality.  Jack Palance, on the other hand, is razor focused and imposing.  When the young ‘uns tell him they’re going to the lake, he warns them to stay away…for, he says there are hunters there.

What follows is a pretty decent (if not all that terrifically acted by the newcomers), Lovecraftian story involving the survivors of the trip to the lake and Palance and Landau’s characters as they face off against the alien threat.

The film was quite good in the early going, when we see people become victims to the aliens and, eventually, when the main characters gather together in the diner sequence.  If you’re a movie buff, you’ll find a couple of fascinating faces in that particular crowd, including the last acting appearance of the very best Mike Hammer there ever was, Ralph Meeker.

Shortly after this diner sequence, the film kinda slows down as we follow the young survivors of the lake and, unfortunately, during this period of time both Martin Landau and Jack Palance disappear.

But, fret not as they return in time for the climax which…well, is explosive, but all too obviously on a much smaller scale than the film’s makers would want us to believe.

Despite its flaws, I enjoyed seeing this for the most part forgotten film.  Is it classic cinema?  No.  Is it unjustly forgotten?  Probably not, though seeing all these veteran actors chewing the scenery is fun.  As for the gore that stuck with me all these years, I suspect by today’s standards all these scenes could be shown on TV completely uncut.

If you’re like me and have any memory at all about Without Warning, its a fun trip into the past.  For those who are thrilled with the idea of Jack Palance and Martin Landau facing off in a Lovecraftian horror film, you might want to give it a spin.  For everyone else, it might be a pass.

You know where I stand!