As I’m sure you all know, Bob Clark, who directed the 1974 cult horror classic “Black Christmas” and many other classic films in his lifetime was recently taken from us thanks to a drunk driver and his SUV which swerved into the lane in which Clark was traveling. Clark and his 22 year-old son, Ariel, were both pronounced dead at the scene. I consider this to be a great tragedy for many reasons. Any death caused by the ignorance and negligence of others is always tragic, but it’s even more so when the victim was such as deeply talented man with the unique ability to make films that touch people and stay in their minds for years. A terrible waste of vision and creative energy!

In honor of Bob Clark, this week’s PICKS FROM THE CRYPT are the three films that comprise Bob Clark’s “horror trilogy”. Well not really a trilogy, but three of the all time great horror flicks in my opinion. All three are unique and extremely well made. Watching these superior flicks, it’s hard to believe this is the same director that later in his career offered up dung like “Baby Geniuses” to an unsuspecting yet completely deserving world!

Here’s the breakdown:

“Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things” (1972)

http://imdb.com/title/tt0068370/

A group of incredibly annoying and horribly dressed actors assemble on a creepy (almost) deserted island to prepare for a new play (Or is it a movie? After years of watching I don’t think I ever picked up on this!) The leader of the gang is Alan, a particularly obnoxious loud-mouthed sort of fellow in tacky striped trousers. They dig up a body, perform a few mock Satanic rituals and then bring the corpse back to the cabin where they are staying for a night of necro-fun. Things go from bizarre to brutal in a hurry when the dead come back to life and seek revenge against the kids for “playing” with them.

This flick is a personal favorite of mine, and one of the most overlooked and underrated old school zombie flicks in my opinion. This flick is definitely a “love it or hate it” type of thing, but I for one am a huge fan, and I watch it quite often. A lot of people find the characters and dialogue so grating on the nerves that they can’t sit through a complete viewing. These people simply don’t know what they’re missing. This flick is full of misty graveyards, superb zombie makeup and f/x by Alan Ormsby (who is criminally underrated in that field), Satanic rites, and a truly scary story. The ending scenes where the dead finally get their revenge are genuinely chilling.

*NOTE* If anyone is interested in buying this flick, the cheap-o dvds sold by Diamond Entertainment actually feature the exact same uncut, remastered widescreen print that VCI/Image sells. Save yourself some money and buy the cheaper version, unless you are looking for bonus features like the incredibly kick ass theatrical trailer, which you can see here:

“Deathdream” (1974)

http://imdb.com/title/tt0068457/

A “zombie” film of the most unusual sort. This flick combines blood splattered undead horror with a rather sensitive tale about accepting the loss of a loved one, and finally learning to let them go. The story is loosely based upon the classic short story ‘The Monkey’s Paw’, about being careful what you wish for. I think this flick had an influence on Gary Sherman’s classic “Dead & Buried”, especially the ending.

A young soldier named Andy is pronounced dead in Vietnam. When his parents get word of Andy’s death they are devastated, his mother in particular refusing to accept the news. She prays for Andy’s return and to the shock of he family he indeed does return. Andy returns home in the dead of night, but the war has obviously changed him for the worse. Andy now wants to spend his time alone in his room staring into space while sitting in a rocking chair. He also needs fresh blood to stay alive. The mother’s dream of a happy reunion with her son quickly turns into a nightmare.

There is some great special effects makeup and a fair amount of bloody mayhem in this one from Tom Savini, himself fresh from a tour of Vietnam. Tom made his special effects debut with “Deathdream” after he was unable to work on George Romero’s “Night Of The Living Dead” because he was drafted. This flick has more splatter than “Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things”, and is a lot better acted as well. There’s an especially nifty scene where Andy “shoots up” blood with a syringe, a first in zombie history! Haters of dogs and small children (my kind of people!) will get a kick out of a scene where Andy chokes out an annoying yapping pooch to the shock and dismay of Andy’s pop and a gang of little neighborhood snots who were also bothering him.

This is a real gem of an old school horror flick that deserves a larger audience for sure. This fine flick is now available in a special edition dvd thanks to Bill Lustig’s Blue Underground.

“Black Christmas” (1974)

http://imdb.com/title/tt0071222/

I won’t waste my time trying to explain the importance of “Black Christmas” in depth. What can be said about this all time classic, prototype slasher flick that hasn’t been said already? The obvious influence this flick had on other genre classics like “Halloween” and “When A Stranger Calls” is plainly apparent. This flick has more than a few creepy moments within its running time, and it also has one of the all time great genre endings.

The plot to “Black Christmas” is the definition of simplicity. A group of sorority sisters are harassed by disturbing phone calls and then stalked and slain by a faceless, unknown killer named “Billy” who sneaks inside their sorority house on the eve of Christmas break. Can detective John Saxon trace the calls before the killer strikes again? And what stinks in the attic?

This film is a perfect example of “less is more”. The less we know about the killer or his motivations, the more engrossed we can become in the suspense of the proceedings. The less we see of the deaths, the more gore we can envision in our heads. The death scenes here are all tightly edited for maximum impact. We only see the briefest glimpses of the killer in action, but everything that is shown is brutal and memorable stuff.

It’s nice to see this classic horror flick finally getting some well deserved attention thanks to both the 2006 Glen Morgan remake (which was Bob Clark approved) “Black X-Mas” and the recent special edition dvd release. All fans of the horror and slasher genres should consider this flick a must see.

These films will live forever in the hearts of horror fans!

RIP Bob Clark!

Read All of “Brain Hammer’s Picks From the Crypt!”