What was the last movie you watched? Part 2

I know The Creep Tapes is a tv series but it’s a spinoff of two movies so posting here as well.

The Creep Tapes (2024)

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Weapons (2025)


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THE STONE TAPE ( 1972)
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Continuing my trek the 1970s Horror TeleFilms, my next stop was a British Horror Telefilm called The Stone Tape.

This 1972 Ghost Story stars Jane Asher , a scientist who , in addition to her crew , uncovers the restless spirit , though whether or not a ghost is truly bedeviling the crew is debated.

The telefilm is on a small budget and being the 1970s, there really isn't room for spectacular, other worldly, antics , and stunts.

The focus is much more on the acting of Ms Asher , who is a person already struggling with her mental stability and now being forced to confront the restless spirit of a young woman .

As a massive, American, Beatles fan, Jane Asher is a significant , yet often overlooked figure in the Bands mythology.

She was, at one time, Paul McCartney's Fiancé , and she inspired some of the great love songs written primarily by Paul such as And I Love Her, Here, There, and Everywhere, For No One, and We Can Work It Out, to name a few .

Her Brother is Peter Asher of the another British Invasion rock duo, Peter and Gordon

I'd seen her act in Alfie , but her role was pretty limited in that film, so this is the first film I've ever seen her really show off her chops, and she was great .

The film isn't really scary , though the ending is eerie.

The Stone Tape aired on Christmas Day 1972 on BBC 2 , and in the top ten , in Britain , was yet another hit by the future, Sir, Elton John


And In Tribute ,to Jane Asher a song that was written about her a decade before The Stone Tape,

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"Back to the Future" 40th anniversary re-release.

Great to see it on the big screen again.

Strange thing was, there were about 25 people in the theater, and my sister and I were the only ones who laughed at anything. None of the other people there laughed even once during the entire movie.
 
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I haven't watched this in a while and it was nice to revisit this one again. I think I liked it even more the second time although I still find myself kind of struggling getting into the actual story but I always loved the 80's ness of it and David Warner was a fun villain.

7/10

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Not going to lie I liked this more my second time watching eventhough CGI/de aged Jeff Bridges is still one hell of an eyesore lol. Love that Daft Punk score too.

7/10

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Despite all the negativey surrounding this one I actually ended up enjoying it and wouldn't have minded if we got more films.

7/10
 
HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS ( 1970)
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Though The Classic Series was long off the air by the time I was born, growing up in the 1990s,
I heard about this Vampire Soap Opera in the 1960s called Dark Shadows, which was spoke of fondly by people of my parents generation.

Unfortunately, it was another one of those shows that didn't have re-runs in my neck of the woods, though , I'd heard the name of the series, break out character Barnabas Collins.

So, House Of Dark Shadows is my first official maiden voyage into the Dan Curtis produced saga.

The Show and This Film were basically shot at the same time, and while I get the sense that there are clearly things I'm not picking up on, having not followed the series, I could still watch it as a very new, 50 years later , viewer . :lol: .

The film is pretty good, and does make me interested in exploring this world more .

The acting is good, and the copy I watched is in excellent condition .

Released on October 28th , 1970, In the top Ten that week in The U.S., was a tune by James Taylor
 
REVENGE ( 1971)
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Starring the great Shelly Winters , this is one of those tele-films that could really just be an hour in length , and doesn't quite live up to the promise of it's premise, in terms of tensions and thrills, Imo.

Winters is good , as always , and the concept of a crazed woman holding a man captive was used perfectly in the film Misery .

Additionally the supernatural element also is interesting, in concept .

However , there doesn't seem to be the sense of urgency , or a race against the clock ,that a thriller like this tends to call for.

While it's intriguing to speculate whether or not Shelly Winters character even has a daughter to avenge, I feel that the film could have been even more intriguing if it was unclear, or ambiguous, to the Audience ,whether or not her captive did do what he's ,accused of doing .

Overall the film is fine , but if you wanna see an entertaining Shelley Winters , Supernatural, TV Movie , I'd highly recommend The Initiation Of Sarah, from 1978.


Airing On August 26 1971, among the top ten ,was a song by Marvin Gaye off of his
classic What's Goin' On Album
 
Two Evil Eyes (1990)

Italian/American produced horror film, comprising two segments - one directed by George A. Romero, and one directed by Dario Argento. Both stories are based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, with both set in the (then) present day.

Romero's The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar centre's around an elderly man's younger wife (Adrienne Barbeau) who with her lover plans to get the terminally ill old man to liquidate a large number of his assets in her favour, before he dies and various other people can share the inheritance. To do this her lover - a doctor - hypnotises the old man and makes him carry out their wishes. All seems to go well until the old man dies suddenly whilst still hypnotised - leaving him in a form of limbo, his body dead but his soul still bound to it and able to communicate. It does have the feel of an episode of Romero's Tales from the Darkside TV show, but it updates Poe's story nicely and gives an original ending. Nice to see Tom Atkins as a homicide cop (shame he doesn't get to interact with fellow The Fog cast member, Barbeau).

Argento's The Black Cat is a mish-mash of Poe elements - with nods to various tales in the character names - but is an original story. Rod Usher (Harvey Keitel) is a crime scene photographer who specialises in gory deaths. He's obsessed with his work and publishes books of his graphic images. His already strained relationship with his live-in girlfriend suffers further when she takes in a stray cat, with his increasing resentment of the animal leading him to strangle it and include pictures of the killing in his next book. But his killing doesn't stop there... This segment is more gory (Tom Savini did the effects for both stories), with depictions of corpses in various states of mutilation and decay. Keitel is entertaining - although his gritty, constantly 'about-to-explode' performance doesn't quite sit right with the overall gothic feel. And the ending is ridiculous.

Both segments feel drawn out. There were apparently plans for two more - to be directed by John Carpenter and Wes Craven - but they never happened; I guess the producers felt they needed to make sure the two stories they did get filled the two hour runtime.

Romero's story rates a 7/10, Argento's a 6/10.

Overall, 6.5/10
 
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I dug this quite a bit and found all the cringe/uncomfortable moments really effective. It's a solid indie flick that does a good job exploring the unhealthy and toxic side of fandom and I also found it to be really well acted and well made as well.

7/10

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Ethan Hawk really is fantastic in this flick and the younger actors all do really solid jobs as well but my favorite character is still Madeline McGraw as Gwen who is such a great little scene stealer in this movie.

The ending is still a huge crowd pleaser too and looking it makes sense why this did so well at the BO.

7.5/10

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I enjoyed this sequel but it just didn't hit as hard for me as the original did. I do like the fact that Derrickson pretty much got the freedom to go full on Sinister mode here while also amping up the level of gore and violence but outside of Damian Bechir I can't say I cared all that much for the new characters.

I also wish Mason Thames got more to do but Madeline McGraw getting the spotlight was a nice surprise and like the first movie she continues to be great in this role.

I also wanted more of The Grabber in this eventhough Ethan Hawk has quite a bit of screentime but it just didn't feel like enough IMO but maybe that's just me.

6.5/10
 
BLACK NOON ( 1971)
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The next stop on my Journey through 1970s tele-film Horror, is the Horror Western ,
Black Noon ,from 1971 .

Starring Roy Thinnes, Ray Milland, Henry Silva , Yvette Mimieux ,and Lynn Loring, Black Noon is another one of those films that I really don't want to give away here.

But, I will say it's a good film with some genuinely eerie moments and good performances, particularly from real life Husband and Wife , Thinnes and Loring , and from Mimieux, who plays the enchanting, yet spooky, mute who appears to be at the center of the mystery behind Black Noon.

The film plays on Western conventions and cliches to misdirect the viewer , yet the viewer knows there must be more going on than meets the eye .

I never knew quite where it was going , but the film does pay off in a way that makes sense in the end .

Thinnes does a good job playing a Reverend , and Ray Milland , of course does a good job as The Town Major and leader .

I first saw Yvette Mimieux decades ago in an episode of the Television Series One Step Beyond, entitled The Clown from 1960 .

I would highly recommend checking that episode out .


Airing on November 5th , 1971 , the number song that week was by Cher
 
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40 Sticks (2020)
Revenge of the Pontianak (2019)
The Road to El Dorado (2000)
High Plains Drifter (1973)
La marca del demonio / Mark of the Devil (2020)
Dead of Night (1945)
The Smurfs (2011)
The Smurfs 2 (2013)
Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017)
Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979)
Deck the Halls (2006)
 

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